The Queen and her Slave - English Version
by wolfishaya
Summary: SwanQueen the war between Regina and Snow still rages. Destroyed by the countless losses caused by the conflict, Snow and James send their daughter to kill the queen,following her advice, in the desperate try to save their kingdom,even if they know that she won't come back alive. What they don't know is that death isn't the only thing that can take their daughter away from them.
1. Prologue

«You are now mine, Princess.»  
The Queen's voice was husky, deep, as her stare. She was terrifying, yet gorgeous.  
The blonde nodded behind the bars, still kneeled.  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» she said, her voice trembling.  
The Queen kept staring at her. A satisfied, surprised smile crossed her face.  
«I could do so many things to you...»  
The girl kept staring down. «You can do me what you please.»  
The Queen smiled, pleased.  
«Good answer... You finally understood who's in charge...»  
Emma gave a little smile, but didn't say a thing. She looked at her, though, intensely, without moving her head.  
Regina put her finger under her chin, making her lift it.  
«Good.» she said, looking at her. «You're ready.»  
The girl looked confused. She squeezed her eyes. She smiled, though.  
«Ready for what?»  
«You'll see, my dear.» Regina smiled, then called a guard to make him bring the girl to her room. She vanished in a dense, purple smoke.


	2. Chapter 1

After some moments spent waiting before the majestic door, it suddenly opened, revolving silently over the hinges.  
The queen was barely covered by a lucid and transparent petticoat, garnished now and then by black laces. Emma stood literally open-mouthed before such a beauty.  
«There you are, my dear. So, are you ready?» she asked, slowly walking to her, wiggling her hips.  
Emma had to make a great effort to stay focused and ask, again: «Ready for what?»  
«To kneel before me.» Regina finally answered, touching lightly her face.  
The princess swallowed, shivering at that touch.  
«Yes.» she murmured, kneeling a second after.  
The queen walked around her, looking at her with satisfaction. «Good.» she said smiling. «Now take off your clothes.»  
Emma couldn't help but gave her a surprised glance. Anyway, she bent her arms behind her back and started to unknot the laces that kept her dress clenched around her body. She felt her cheeks go red as she stayed naked before her. Regina took her time to look at her bare body, then she sit on the bed.  
«You're a good toy…» she said, letting her gaze wander over her curves. «Come here.» she commanded then, licking her lips.  
The girl obeyed, walking slowly to the bed, looking down as she felt her cheeck in flames.  
«Don't be shy. Look at me.»  
Emma raised her eyes on her. The queen ordered her to go closer, but the girl hesistated.  
«Do you want me to step on the bed, Your Majesty?» she asked, distractedly biting her lower lip.  
«Yes.» was the cold answer the queen gave her.  
The princess nodded before obeying, climbing on all fours on the bed, and then waiting kneeled over the silk, blach sheets.  
«It's been a while that I didn't have a new toy…» the queen murmured, leaning on her. «Are you afraid?» she asked her, looking in her blue eyes.  
«No.» the girl answered after a few seconds, smiling slightly.  
Regina smiled, grabbing then her face with the black-coated fingers.  
«Good girl… it will be funnier.»  
Their lips smashed in a passionate kiss, to wich the blonde participated enthusiastically.  
«Good girl..» Regina commented as the contact was broken. She moved her right hand, and Emma's clothes disappeared. «Now you're mine.»  
Emma looked at her in admiration. «I always was…» she whispered, her voice hoarse.  
The queen's dark eyes were lit for a second by the surprise. «You exceed my expectations… I thought it would be harder to break you.»  
«I'm not broken…» Emma replied, shyly smiling.  
The surprise grew stronger in Regina. «Really?»  
Emma just nodded. A moment later, the woman's hands were choking her.  
«Explain, before I destroy you…»  
The princess struggled to breathe, but she didn't try in any way to oppose.  
«I feel good… with you…» she whispered instead, looking in her eyes.  
The woman slighlty tensed her eyelids, the a little smile streched her lips as she lightly shook her head.  
«You really are the best result I have ever got…» she said a second before jumping on her to bite her lip, making her moan.  
«Now, please you queen.»  
Emma looked at her in confusion.  
«How, Your Majesty?»  
As an answer, Regina moved to the corner of the bed and spread her legs.  
The princess kneeled before her, looking in her eyes. She made her hands slide over her thighs before sinking her tongue inside her.  
Regina grabbed her hair, pushing her head towards her.  
«Yes, go on…» she murmured, aroused.  
Emma exited from her and started licking her clit with slow circular movements, tasting her, slightly moaning, too horny to hold it back. Regina pushed her hips towards her, inviting her to give her more, as a moan of pleasure came out of her mouth. Emma squeezed her thighs and started moving her tongue faster. The brunette scratched her back.  
«Yes, go on…and maybe I won't kill you…».  
The blonde had to hold back a scream of pain, but instead of stopping she started sucking her clit, already wet and swollen. The queen couldn't stifle a louder moan.  
«Good girl.» she panted.  
Pleasure and pain merged into a moan for the princess while her tongue continued giving pleasure to the woman in front of her.  
The queen clamped her thighs feeling the pleasure flood her body, quivering as the orgasm shook her.  
The blonde distanced a little from her, but stayed kneeled. She licked her lips, tasting her flavor.  
«You are one of the best slaves I have ever had, I must admit it.» Regina said after catching her breath.  
Suddenly Regina grabbed her and made her lay on the bed. Emma let her do it, shivering.  
«You mean you won't kill me?» Emma asked without stopping to look at her.  
«Maybe…» Regina answered making then appear a rope that tied Emma's wrists, pinning her to the bed.  
Emma gazed at the rope, then at the woman. She felt exposed, vulnerable, helpless. Her breath accelerated.  
The queen smiled, pleased, moving above her.  
«Oh, are you afraid?»  
The girl swallowed.« It's hard not to be it when you can't move…» she tried to justify herself, slightly blushing.  
«You must be, indeed…» the woman said laying on her and scratching her thighs. A whip appeared in her hand.  
Emma screamed, then widened her eyes seeing the object.  
«I-I thought I gave you pleasure, Your Majesty…»  
«Indeed.» Regina said, sliding the whip over her body. « I want to reward you…»  
The princess was shaken by a tremor when the cold leather touched her skin.  
«With pain?» she asked with trembling voice.  
«It can be pleasing….» the brunette replied hitting her with the whip.  
Emma yelled, uselessly trying to move. Nevertheless, she was so aroused that it was more painful than the lash.  
Regina leaned over her, whispering in her ear: «Did you like it?»  
With her face full of shame, Emma had to admit the truth. «Yes.» she whispered.  
The queen smiled, biting then her earlobe.  
«I know.» she said, caressing her body with the whip, from her breasts to her belly, to her sex.  
The girl moaned under her, arching her back.  
«Spread your legs.» the queen ordered.  
The blonde obeyed without hesitation.  
«Now let's see if you're ready…»  
Regina made the whip slide over her vagina, and the girl insinctively closed her legs, only to spread them again a second later.  
«I'm sorry…» she whispered, realizing her mistake.  
The brunette seized her throat painfully.  
«Never do that again.»  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» Emma said with a hint of voice.  
The woman loosened the grasp on her throat.  
«You must be punished.» she said flogging her violently. A cry of pain echoed in the room.  
The queen kissed her then penetrated her with her fingers. Another cry left the blonde's lips, making her smile. Regina began to move quickly inside her.  
«Regina…» Emma said, as the pain was rapidly turning into pleasure.  
«It's Your Majesty.» the brunette corrected her, pushing her fingers further inside of her, making her come.  
The girl was breathless, weary for the intensity of the pleasure that she had just experienced.  
She jumped when the woman's fingers left her. She tried to focus on the words that the queen was saying, blinking to try bring her into focus.  
«See? I told you it would have been pleasing.»  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» she answered, still trying to catch her breath.  
She felt the rope disappear from the wrists letting her free.  
«Go now.»  
The order came like a bucketful of cold water straight on her face. Despite the initial confusion, Emma obeyed, getting quickly out of bed and dressing up fast, walking then to the door.  
«Perhaps I'll keep you for a while.» came the husky voice of the queen from behind her. Emma turned to watch her, immediately kneeling before her, hiding her face. Once again, then, she tried to obey walking towards the door, but she was stopped by the brunette's voice.  
«Wait.» Emma stood still, turning only her head towards her. «Sleep on the couch. I might want to hurt you again later.» Regina said with a malicious smile on her face.  
«As Her Majesty wishes.» Emma answered nodding. She walked to the couch and laid on it.  
«Don't make a sound.» the woman warned her, covering her body with the black sheet.  
«Yes, Majesty.» Emma said. There were some minutes of silence before that the blonde could find the bravery to speak again. «Goodnight, Your Majesty.» she said shyly.  
Regina opened wide her eyes in the dark of the room.  
«Goodnight, slave.» she said eventually.


	3. Chapter 2

Two guards came to pick her up, right after the sunset. They didn't say a word to her as they were taking her before the queen's rooms, from which she had been kicked out at dawn. They pushed her in and went away after a brief bow to the queen, leaving her alone with her.  
She opened her eyes wide seeing her.  
A black, shiny leather corset wrapped her breasts and waist, emphasizing her curves. Thin black leather trousers ran over her legs, swallowed by the thigh-high boots, with shiny steel heels. Her dark eyes watched her as she was standing right in the center of the room, a hand on her hip, the other one holding a black scourge. The only color was the red of her lips, opened in a sinister and magnetic smile.  
«Come closer.» she said, velvet voice but threatening.  
The girl obeyed, stopping a step from her.  
Suddenly, hanging from the ceiling, leather straps appeared. Emma lifted her face to look at them the, swallowing, she went back gazing at the queen, her eyes wide opened.  
Regina smiled again.  
«Now we begin to get serious, slave.» she said, approaching her then. «Raise your arms.» she commanded.  
Emma did, although a bit hesitantly. The brunette stretched leaning forward to tie the straps around her wrists. She stepped back then, looking at her. She waved her right hand in the air, and the straps pulled up, almost lifting Emma from the ground, making her moan in pain for the tension on her wrists. Another hand movement, and the petticoat that once covered her was disappeared. Emma shivered, sincerely scared by the situation.  
Regina licked her lips, and slapped the whip against her palm, mahing her start. She then moved behind her, so that che couldn't see her. She saw her back tense. She passed the red-coated forefinger over her spine, up to down, scratching her, feeling her center clench at her moan. She approached the blonde and grasped her throat from behind.  
Emma gasped, yanking the straps. Regina tightened her grip.  
«Don't resist…» she whispered in her ear «… or I'll hurt you more.»  
Emma squeezed her eyes and tried with all herself to stay still, even if her lungs were about to explode.  
Regina let her go, allowing her to breathe.  
«Good girl…»  
After a moment of silence, filled only by the sound of Emma's furious heartbeats, Regina stroke her between her legs with the whip, making her open them. The little scream that Emma let out made her smile, feeding her arousal.  
She passed her left arm around Emma's body and grabbed her right breast, squeezing it between her fingers, digging her nails into the soft flesh. Emma moaned, biting her lip trying not to scream. Regina mover her lips near to her ear again, whispering: «Scream for me.», biting then hard her lobe.  
Emma immediately pleased her, shivering. Her breaths were fast, frantic, and became faster when the woman stepped away from her, leaving her waiting for some terrible moments. The she saw her appear before her.  
Regina slid the whip between her legs, making her shudder. Then she violently hit her breast, making her cry for the pain.  
Emma clinged on to the straps, trying to catch her breath between the lashes, screaming every time.

She neve knew how many times the scourge hit her body, first on her breasts, then over her thighs, her belly, on her breasts again. At some time though, trembling, with tears rushing all over her face, she begged her to stop in a whisper, a second before she hit her again.  
Regina smiled and lowered the weapon, approaching her.  
«I never thought you could resist for so long…» she commented caressing her face. Emma felt a stronger shudder shake her burning body as fear gripped her. She couldn't look her in the eyes of her own will, but she did when the queen took her face between her fingers. There was a smile in her eyes.  
«Actually the best toy I've ever had…» she murmured right before kissing her arrogantly. Emma didn't oppose. She wasn't strong enough.  
Regina bit her lip until she made her bleed, holding her still while she cried. She then let her go all of a sudden, but she stayed next to her. She ran her hands over her aching body, going down to her legs. She digged her nails into her inner thighs and forced her to open them. She roughly went inside of her, making her scream in pain. With the other hand she grabbed her hair pulling her head back, rubbing her tongue over her throat, tasting her sweat and her tears.  
«You're not coming until I tell you to.» she the said looking in her eyes.  
The girl blinked twice, trying to focus her beyong the thick veil of tears. She then nodded, but that wasn't enough for the queen. She gave a yank to her hair.  
«It's "Your Majesty".» she reminded her.  
«Y-yes, Your Majesty…» the girl repeated with a hint of trembling voice.  
«Good girl…»  
Regina pushed her finger further inside her, opening them to touch her more sensitive spots. Emma's body quivered despite the pain. She was aroused, and a warm wetness was forming around the queen's fingers.  
«I knew you'd like pain…» the brunette said smiling, going on moving inside her.  
She felt her clench around her, and she didn't miss the weak moan held behind the sealed lips.  
«Don't come.» she commanded. She moved her hand so that her palm would rub against her clit, now swollen and wet, felling her ready to reach the orgasm.  
Warm tears were rushing down Emma's face, a mix of pain and pleasure to shock her. She tried to hold herself, but she had to beg the queen again eventually.  
«Please, Your Majesty…» she said crying, on the edge of the orgasm.  
As an answer Regina added another finger inside her. Emma yelled, yanking the straps. Regina's fingers went in and out of her, with more violence and faster. The girl's body was tensed and quivering. She begged hera gain, and again with her eyes, too weary to speak.  
When she was about to pass out, the queen's hot voice brought her back to reality.  
«Come now.»  
Her body obeyed instantly, emptying on her hand, with a loud cry that echoed in the room. Her muscles abandoned her, and she stood only thanks to the straps, but just for a few seconds before that Regina made them disappear, letting her collapse on the floor.  
«Disappointing.» the queen commented bitterly.  
Emma managed to slightly lift her face, trying to focus and understand.  
«You're supposed to please me now, but you couldn't raise a finger even if it was to save your own life.» the queen explained then. She gave her her back, walking to the opposite side of the room. «Go away. You got me bored.»  
Emma failed her first attempt to stand up, and the second, and the third.  
«Stop making a fool of yourself and crawl out of my sight!» the queen snapped at her exasperated.  
Humiliated, the girl did as she ordered until, out of the room, two guards lifted her and dragged her to her cell.


	4. Chapter 3

Emma slept most of the day, waking up now and then only because of the pain that every movement caused her. When the sun went down, her body was still marked by the strikes suffered the night before.  
Two guards opened the door of her cell. Emma raised her head towards them. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of having to endure the torture once again. She didn't have the strenght to resist, though. They dragged her to the queen's room, and they left her on the floor, before the queen.  
Regina looked at her, then she approached her. She lifted the girl's face with a finger.  
«Are you scared?» she asked looking in her eyes.  
The girl hesitated, but nodded eventually.  
«Didn't you enjoy it yesterday?» the woman questioned again.  
Emma swallowed, her breath fast.  
« You should be thanking me…» the queen plowed on instead of waiting her answer, her left brow slightly arched. « I think you never experienced anything like that before, after all. Men only think about themselves, about their needs…I don't think I did the same, did I?»  
Emma opened her lips, but she couldn't find the voice to speak. Regina caught on straight away, and made appear a glass full of water before her. The principess hesitated, gazed at her with astonishement, waiting for her permission. When the brunette nodded encouraging her, she raised a bit and grabbed the glass, emptying it.  
Regina waved a hand, a wide gesture that covered exactly the lenght of Emma's still naked body.  
The girl felt a weird sensation, like a fresh wind over her skin, and a moment later every trace of pain vanished. She looked at herself, putting distractedly the glass on the floor. She opened wide her eyes realizing that Regina cured her.  
She gaped at her.  
«Your Majesty…» she could only say, too astounded to articulate a full sentence.  
Regina watched her with indifference.  
«You're useless if you can't even move.» she coldly explained.  
The delusion deadened the surprise. Emma straightened her back.  
«What do you want to do to me, this time?» she asked.  
«This time…» the woman repeated with a veil of contempt in her voice, glaring at her. «… you'd better please me, slave, or I won't be that benevolent.»  
Emma nodded and gazed down.  
«Yes, Your Majesty.»  
«Lay on the bed.» she ordered.  
The girl obeyed. The queen went close to the bed, and began to undress in front of her, slowly.  
Emma felt her mouth dry. She couln't look away, her eyes followed every move of the woman's hands.  
Regina smiled, amused.  
«I deduce you like it… You don't look scared now.» she commented, her voice hot, soft.  
Emma blushed violently.  
«I, ehm… I mean, yes, no…» she stuttered, confused.  
A short laughter gurgled between the queen's red lips.  
«So, do you like it or not?» she inquired smiling.  
«Yes.» the girl answered quickly, blushing even more.  
«Are you still scared?»  
Emma shook her head, hesitating just a bit.  
«What changed?» the queen asked, her dark eyes glistening with amusement as she untied the laces that kept the corset closed on her breasts. Emma's eyes followed her hands.  
«It changed that… that I'm not tied up.» she answered after a bit, unable to look away from her.  
«Seen how you came, it didn't look like you weren't enjoying it…» the other woman replied letting her corset slide from her body, standing naked before her.  
The princess' heart lost some beats.  
«Y-yes but… this way's better.» she managed to say, too distracted to invent a good excuse.  
«I establish what's better.» the queen replied sharply sitting then with legs astride over her. She felt her tremble under her.  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» the girl anwered, her gaze still wandering over her body.  
Regina grabbed her hand. She licked the slave's finger sas her eyes kept piercing the blonde's, that opened wide. The girl felt a familiar heath light up inside her. The queen sucked her fingers, making her arousal grow. She then took her hand between her legs, and lead her inside her. Regina half-closed her eyes starting to rock her hips towards her fingers. Emma felt her core cntract violently, and she started pushing her fingers further inside her. Regina let out a light moan and made her increase the rhythm. Emma istinctively opened her fingers inside her, making her moan louder. She tried, without thinking, to lift and she leaned her free hand on her cheek, getting closer to kiss her. Their lips were about to touch when the brunette grabbed her throat, pinning her to the bed.  
«Never do that again, slave.» she commanded, emphasizing the last word. «You're here only for my amusement.»  
Emma nodded, choked by her grip.  
«I never said you to stop.» the queen said menacingly, glaring at her. The girl realized just then that she had stopped moving inside her. She resumed doing it, fighting to breathe until Regina let her go. She repressed a fit of coughing and went on moving.  
Emma was enchanted by the sight of the queen's body moving above her. She watched the perfection of every detail, the way she arched her back to get more pleasure, the half-closed eyes, like the lips, with that scar that made them even more sexy. A thousand times she had wandered what caused it, never being allowed to ask it. She felt her tense, ready to reach the climax. So she sped up the rhythm until she felt her coming.  
Regina panted, then she laid on the bed next to her, her breath uneven.  
Emma turned her head to watch her, amazed, until the woman told her to go away.


	5. Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since Emma had entered the queen's rooms for the first time. Since that day, every night, the two women had spent pleasing and painful hours. Emma had discovered that being submissive wasn't that bad: it made her feel free, complete. Alive.  
The queen had even allowed her to sleep in the room near hers. When she wanted her, Regina just had too call her, and Emma just had to open the hidden door between the rooms and please her queen.  
But today she hadn't called her. She had been waiting the whole day, listening to every sound in the castle, yet the room had stayed terribly silent. The worry was becoming unsustainable, enough to make her walk up and down the room, torturing her hands.  
Suddenly she heard the adjacent room's door open, and laughters echoed in the silence.  
«It's been a while since you came to visit me…» Regina said slamming the door behind her.  
Maleficent touched lightly her face, making her turn toward her and then pinning her against the door with her body. The brunette laughed, arching her body towards her.  
«It wasn't easy to come here, you know, in wartime…»  
«I know… but it wasn't easy to find an appropriate toy…»  
Maleficent raised her eyebrows. «So you've replaced me?»  
«I could never…» Regina replied putting her hands on her hips. «But I had to find something to distract me, seen that I can't go out of this damned castle.»  
Maleficent smiled and arrogantly kissed her, then she push the woman towards the bed. Regina smirked laying over the bed. Maleficent was fast leaning over her going on kissing her passionately. The brunette made their clothes disappear with a gesture.  
«You don't waste time…» Regina commented between the kisses. She then turned the situation and she was above her.  
« You always want to rule, don't you?» the blonde asked amused.  
« Of course…» the other woman answered, pinning down her wrists with magic. She licked her lips and laid on her. Her hands started to wander all over her body, leaning on her nipple. Maleficent moaned, arching her back. The brunette got closer to her until she surrounded her nipple with her teeth, making her moan louder. Her hand went down between her legs, spreding them arrogantly and then teasing her, finding her already wet for her. She continued for minutes, waiting for the woman to beg her to give her more pleasure.  
«Reg…ina…» Maleficent moaned.  
«Tell me, dear…» Regina smiled pushing two fingers inside her, causing the woman to scream. Pleased, the brunette moved quickly inside her, opening her fingers, making her quiver until she exploded crying out her name: «Regina!».  
Maleficent panted under her, unable to move, her muscles still tensed. Regina freed her from her magic. As the blonde was free she lifted, grabbing the woman above her to invert their positions again.  
«Do you want the control?» Regina asked amused.  
As an answer Maleficent shut her mouth with a kiss, biting her lip until it bled. She the pushed her body against the brunette's, her lower belly rocking against Regina's. They both moaned. Maleficent was rolling fast against her while with a hand she grasped her breast and with th other she pulled her head back to bite her neck. Regina couldn't help but moan louder.

Emma couldn't believe her ears. The moans she heard were filling her room, too. She couldn't believe that Regina was with another woman while she was there waiting for her. She knew she was just a toy for her, but that didn't make her fell better. She jumped on the bed, pushing the pillow against her head to try to stop hearing those cries of pleasure, the same she usually caused. But that didn't stop those yells. She groaned with anger, almost hoping that the queen would hear her so that she remembered of her presence.  
Regina pushed her body against the one of the woman above her, asking for more. Her requests were quickly satisfied, and Maleficent entered her with two fingers, sharply, making her cry. The blonde sucked a nipple as she continued tormenting her with her fingers, going in and out with increasing violence. Regina screamed louder as she felt the pleasure possess her body.

Emma pushed harder the pillow against her head while hot tears threathened to slip out of her eyes, but she didn't want to cry for her. She leaped up from the bed and she got close to the door that kept her apart from the queen. She put her hands on the wood. She held on for just a few seconds, then she moved again. At the umptheenth yell of pleasure, she kicked hard the large chest next to the bed, risking to break her foot and breaking the thin wooden inside of the chest. She grabbed her aching foot, jumping with the other to the bed, cursing under her breath.

«Yess!» Regina moaned loudly. Her hands ran to the blonde hair, pulling her close to seal their lips in a violent and passionate kiss. Maleficent's fingers kept arousing her; she moved the thumb upon her clit to increase her pleasure.  
«Maleficent…» she gasped, close to the orgasm that came moments later shaking her body. Maleficent kept tormenting her for a few senconds more to make her reach the maximum pleasure, then she exited her. She continued kissing her while she caressed her face.  
The queen's tensed body relaxed after a few minutes under the woman's caresses.  
«You didn't lose your touch…» the queen said, still panting.  
«Did you thin I softened?» the blonde replied.  
«It isn't easy to find skilled lovers… I would be sorry to lose you…» the queen plowed on, biting her lip.  
Maleficent moaned between pain and pleasure.  
«How many lovers do you have?» she asked.  
«Just one, at the moment… It was hard to find a decent one since you're gone.» the brunette said amusingly, liing down.  
«Glad to know I'm not easy to replace.» the other woman replied with a smirk, laying next to her. «What's the lucky one's name?» she asked then, curious.  
«Slave.» Regina answered grinning. «Would you like to meet her?»  
«You don't know her name?» Mal asked laughing. «Yes, I'm curious…»  
Regina stood up from the bed and commanded a guard to bring her Emma.  
Maleficent watched her body, perfect, a glimpse of lust in her eyes.  
«Where did you find her?»  
«She came here to kill me…» the queen answered turning to look at her, walking then to the bed.

Emma gave a start when the room's door was suddenly opened. She was pulled roughly to the queen's room. She paralyzed at the sight of the two naked women. Maleficent's hand was sliding up and down Regina's thigh. She clenched her fists for the rage, but then she kneeled before them.  
«To kill you? Really?» Maleficent asked. She looked at the girl: she was cute, but nothing special to her. «She doesn't look like a killer.» she commented towards Regina.  
«Indeed she isn't… As you can see, I'm still alive.» she smiled cleverly.  
Emma stayed kneeled in patient, angry wait, betrayed by the tensed posture. Furthermore, the foot was still aching, growing her annoyance.  
«Only an idiot would send someone to kill you, an incompetent one, moreover.»  
«Indeed, Snow is, as you well know..» Regina said, disgusted and amused at the same time by the enemy's foolishness. «Especially, sacrificing her own daughter…» she laughed, gazing then at Emma.  
«Don't you think you made a little too much rumor?» she asked her.  
«Her daughter? You've got Princess Emma in your hands and you don't tell me?» Maleficent looked at the brunette in shock.  
Emma barely glanced at the queen before answering.  
«I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I stumbled while I was going to bed.» she lied.  
«It was you that vanished, forcing me to find a stand-in.» Regina replied to Maleficent. She ran a hand over her thigh before bringing her attention back to the princess. «You'd better show a little more respect if you don't want to go back to the dungeons.» she said with contempt.  
Emma swallowed, glancing at her once again. Her hart inevitably jumped at the scary option.  
«I ask for your pardon, Your Majesty.» she said rapidly.  
«It's not my fault if you've caused a war!» Mal was saying. She jokingly hit Regina on her shoulder, surprising enormously Emma, then she lifted ad paced towards her. She turned towards Regina before that she approached her. «May I?» she asked, pointing at the girl with a finger.  
Regina gazed at her with a smile.  
«Of course, my dear…» she answered, making then herself comfortable, as to watch the scene.  
Maleficent reached the slave. She was towering over her, still kneeled. Even if Emma was standing, that wouldn't change: Mal was taller than Regina and, to some extent, scarier. She leaned two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at her, studying her features.  
«You've got your mother's eyes… and you father's brain, seen what you came here for…» she commented.  
Unable to do otherwise, Emma stared back at her, gritting her teeth at her words.  
«My father's worth ten times you.» she replied in an angry growl.  
The queen leaped up and ran to her to grab her hair.  
«Mind your words, slave, if you don't want me to kill you right away! Where does this bravery spawns from? You were so tame during the last two weeks…»  
The princess hel back a moan, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists to endure the pain.  
«From the same two people who game me life, I guess.» she answered, her eyes flashing with rage.  
Maleficent's amused laughter broke the air. Regina, though, didn't let that distract her.  
«Apologize for your arrogance, little girl!» she commanded, turning the to Maleficent. «One day without me and she's back boasting…» she said, taking then her attention back to the slave. «… when there was nothing she wanted more than satisfy me, last night…» she plowed on with the clear intention to humiliate her.  
Emma blushed slightly at her word, but she didn't lose her bravery.  
«Or what? What do you want to do to me, Your Majesty?» she spat, stessing the last words, glaring at her even if her eyes were wet. «If you want to kill me, just do it already, I don't care. I expected that when I came here alone.»  
«Are you trying to blame me?» Maleficent asked ignoring her, gazing at Regina with her blue eyes wide open.  
«Of course not, my dear.» the brunette answered smiling, without taking her eyes off of the girl though. «I only believe that someone here is jealous…» She bent over to lift Emma's face. «Did you feel neglected?»  
The girl blushed violently and tried to gaze down.  
«Oh, poor girl…» Maleficent said looking at her.«… she fell in love with you…»  
Regina gazed at her, looking for a confirmation in her gaze.  
«Is it true?» she asked narrowing her eyes.  
Emma gazed back at her.  
«Why, do you care?»  
«Curiosity.» the woman answered, trying to maintain a detached behavior.  
Emma narrowed here eyes searching her gaze.  
«I won't answer this question.» she said. «No matter what you do to me.»  
«Go back to your room.» Regina ordered after some moments of silence, letting her go. The princess stood up and limped to the door without a word, hiding the tears she couldn't hold back anymore giving her back to the women.


	6. Chapter 5

Regina watched her go away with a weird feeling.  
«Honey, I know that look…» Maleficent said with a gentle tone.  
Regina turned to go back to the bed. «What look?»  
The woman followed her, smiling at her.  
«You've got two ways to solve this. Three, maybe.» the blonde plowed on.  
«I don't know what are you talking about, but I'm listening.» the brunette replied, avoiding her stare.  
Maleficent smiled looking at her. She began to list, counting with her fingers as she talked.  
«One, you kill her. But I don't think you want to do it, or she'd be already underground. Or her head would be on a pike, to make the idiot suffer. Two, you torture her until you relax. It always works. Three, you calm her down and accept the fact that she's in love with you. Yet I'd advise against that course of action, you know, love…»  
«Love is weakness, I know…» Regina finished for her, sighing. «I don't want to kill her. Not yet…» she quickly added. «And she's not in love with me, by the way.»  
Maleficent put a hand over hers, looking in her eyes.  
«Regina, what if not love would have pushed her to surrender so easily to you, abandoning her will to kill you? Betraying her family? You told me before that, until yesterday, she only wanted to please you…. I'm not telling you to have a relationship with her, I'm only saying that you have to deal with this situation, or the one to suffer for it will be you.»  
«Me? Why? You well know that I don't have a heart, so how on earth should I suffer?» she asked, almost with anger.  
«I'm not talking about you heart, dear, I'm talking about your brain! She'll drive you crazy if she goes on like this! Dominate her for good, so that she won't cause you any further problem.»  
«Of course I will.» Regina snorted, about to lose her patience.  
The witch grinned.  
«Good! If you ever need some help from your old teacher…» she added then, malice in her eyes.  
«I can handle it on my own…» the brunette smiled at her «But thank you.» she added before kissing her. Maleficent laughed between her lips.  
«Oh, I know, I know… I said it only to have some fun together…»  
«There will obviously be other occasions, after that I'll dominate her completely.»  
The woman smiled, her eyes flashing, wicked. «I can't wait…» she said.  
Regina smiled in response.  
«How long will you stay?»  
«Until you'll stand my presence.» the blonde answered laughing.  
«Interesting….» Regina caressed her cheek before laying on the bed. «I let you rest. Restore, you'll need your energy later…»  
«Do you really think I need to restore? I'm a dragon, Regina, not your slave in the next room! You insult me…»  
«I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…» Regina said pulling Mal over her, kissing then her with passion. Maleficent smiled leaning over her.  
Regina didn't waste time and entered her immediately, making the blonde yell in surprise. After a brief moment of pain, the blonde started rocking her hips, asking for more. The queen didn't leave her waiting and moved quickly inside her.  
«Don't stop…» Maleficent whispered, biting the woman's lip. Regina opened her fingers to touch her more sensitive spots, making moan out loud the woman above her. Her fast movement slowed down only after Maleficent's cry of pleasure, who laid on her panting.  
The queen exited her slowly, a satisfied smirk on her lips.  
«You really missed me…»  
«Yes, I feel quite lonely in my castle…» Maleficent replied.  
«You can stay as long as you wish.» Regina said caressing her face.  
Mal stared at her adoringly.  
«Thank you… You now you're always welcome to my castle, right?»  
«Of course, my dear..» the queen smiled.  
The blonde half-closed her eyes, relaxing completely.  
«Would you mind if I took a nap? It's been a long trip. I had to avoid at least a hundred arrows and like ten spears…»  
«Of course, have some rest. We have a lot of time.» the queen reassured her, kissing her.  
Maleficent fell asplee almost instantly, worn out.  
Regina waited for her breath to be even before standing up from the bed. She wrapped herself in a nightgown and exited the room.

Emma, after being brought to her room, had laid on the bed. The two women's moans kept coming to her ears.  
Tears had just stopped rushing over her face when the door was slammed open. She leapt up abruptily, surpised to see the queen walk in.  
«So you're awake…» the queen said coming by.  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» she answered with a hint of voice.  
Regina approached her, grabbed her feet making the princess groan in pain, then passed her hand over it, curing it. Emma gave a start at the queen's touch. When the pain ceased, she gaped at her.  
«Don't ever try to raise your voice with me again. Don't you ever try to contradict me… especially in front of other people.» the brunette coldly said.

The girl nodded istinctively.  
«Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sorry.»  
«Why did you do that? It's two week that you don't complain nor disobey to my orders.»  
Emma swallowed, looking away.  
«That woman makes me uncomfortable.» she answered.  
«You still try to lie to me… you've learned nothing, did you?»

«I'm not lying, Your Majesty. It's that I thought I was… your only toy.» she said the last word with mush effort.  
Regina held back a laughter before answering.  
«Maleficent isn't one of my playthings.» she corrected her. A moment later she made her stand up and pushed her against the wall. Emma lost her breath at the contact with her body.  
«I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to suggest anything…»

«You are my plaything, better, you were. Now I'll have to go without you.» Regina whispered in her ear. Emma's blood ran cold.  
«W-what?» she asked opening wide her eyes.  
«Yes, I'll have to lock you in the dungeons, and you can never help me relax again… It's quite frustrating…» the brunette said, pushing her body against hers.  
Emma's eyes fille dwith tears while she trembled.  
«Y-your Majesty, please… why?» she asked.  
«Why what? What bothers you?» the queen asked in response.  
«Honestly?» the blonde replied blinking repeatedly, her breath laboured. «Everithing you said: the dungeons, that I won't be able to help you, you being frustrated…»  
«You're just afraid to go back to the dungeons, why would you ever care about my frustration?» Regina spat with contempt.  
Emma frowned.  
«It's true.» she answered quietly. «I'm afraid to go back to the dungeons, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about you…» she continued, after a moment of silence.  
Regina distanced from her abruptly, her eyes full of anger.  
«You're a liar!» she said out loud. «But I must admit that you're good: you'd rather pretend to be in love with me than go back into a cell. I had never met someone so convincing.» she plowed on after a second, looking in her eyes.  
Emma kept staring back at her as a tear slid over her cheek. Seeing it, the queen made a step towards her.  
«Are you in love with me?» she asked then.  
The younger woman bursted into a laughter. It clearly was an hysterical laugh.  
«What do you think, Yoru Majesty?» She pointed at herself witha wide movement of her arms. «Look at me. I'm pathetic, I know. But I'm askin you nothing. You can do whatever you please with me, I know I mean nothing to you, if not a temporary entertainment. But you friend there is right. Yes, I'm in love with you. Crazy, right? I come here to kill you, you torture me and I fall for you. For my worst enemy. I'm an idiot, I know, but there's nothing I can do about it.»

Regina opened wide her eyes. She started tormenting her hands. After some minutes of silence, she was able to speak.  
«Go away.» she said, making appear the clothes with which she was captured. «Never come back here.»  
Emma, after a moment of confusion, tokk in a deep breath and began to undress, under the astonished stare of the queen.  
«What the hell are you doing?»  
«I disobey.» the blonde answered calmly.  
The brunette's eyes filled with rage.  
«You really wnt to die, don't you, stupid girl?»  
The princess dropped her boots and opened her arms.  
«I told you. You can do whatever you please with me.» she explained unfastening her belt.  
«Good.» the queen replied using her magic to dress her up again. «I rule… now, last chance: you get out by fair means or I'll get you to do it.»  
Emma sighed findinge herself dressed again. She thought about what to do and then kneeled before her.  
«Your Majesty, I ask for asylum.»  
«Asylum?» the queen repeated, confused. «From who?» she asked exasperated.  
«From my parents. I can't go back to them: they want your head. I could never allow them to geti t. I'm an enemy for them, now.» she answered raising her head, looking intensely in her eyes.  
«You're crazy…» Regina sighed «They would never hurt you. Go home, Princess.» she replied, making them appear ouside the castle then, in the forest.  
Emma looked around, caught off guard by the sudden change of position. She breathed in the fresh air. She missed it. Yet the distraction lasted just a few seconds.  
«They wouldn't hurt me, it's true, but George would. He'd get me hanged for high treason.»  
«Your parents won't let him do it, and George won't lift a finger without my permission, so you can go home.» the woman replied harshly.  
Emma hesitated. She stood still, looking for a solution, an escape. Her eyes flashed when she found it: she sat on the ground cross-legged.  
«I'm not going back to the palace. I'm staying here untill you change your mind.» she said eventually, giving her a determined stare.  
The queen, though, looked smugly at her.  
«Then you'll stay here forever.» she said turning. «When I grow tired of a plaything I get rid of it… you're lucky that I haven't killed you yet.» she added then, her voice lower.  
«You can't get rid of this plaything…» Emma said with a smile.  
Regina barely glanced at her.  
«We'll see about that.»  
She disappeared in a purple smoke, leaving her to stare at the point where she vanished.

Regina appeared in her room. Maleficent was sleeping in her bed. She sighed and walked to the window to look at the limpid sky. That stupid girl was driving her mad, yet she couldn't stop thinking about her.  
Maleficent grumbled something in her sleep and rollend under the sheets, perhaps disturbed by the queen's paces. Regina glanced at her but, realizing that the womand was still sleeping, she turned back to look outside.  
Beyond the ramparts she spotted Emma, still sat where she left her.  
«I can't keep you here…» she whispered against the glass, fogging it.  
«Lilith…» Mal murmured sleeping, frowned.  
Regina gave a last glance at the girl beyond the glass.  
«Go away, stupid girl...» she whispered before walking to the bed to caress the dragon's hair. Her blue eyes opened at that touch, fixing on her, confused.  
«Regina…. is everything alright?» she asked with sleepy voice.  
«Yes. What about you?» the brunette asked, sitting on the bed.  
The lie didn't escape to the dragon's eyes.  
«I'm fine…» she said «.. but don't lie to me: what's wrong? The girl is causing you problems?»  
Regina quickly made light of the situation.  
«No, no problem. You said your daughter's name…»  
Maleficent's face filled with sadness.  
«I often dream of her…» she confessed in a lower tone. «I imagine how would she be now if… But tell me about you. Are you ashamed to talk to an old friend?» she asked despite the queen's efforts.  
Regina held her hand though.  
«I'm sorry for your loss. » she said staring at blue eyes. «What should I be ashamed of?»  
Maleficent shrugged.  
«I don't know, you're the one who doesn't want to talk about it.» she replied.  
«What should I talk about? An idiotic girl?»  
Maleficent gave her a tiny smile, and caressed her cheek.  
«Yes, if she deprives you of sleep… what did you do with her?»  
Regina glanced away.  
«I let her go.» she gloomily said.  
«Damn, you really care about her!» the blonde commented frowning.  
«I don't!» the queen exclaimed outraged. «But can you imagine Snow's face when she knows that her daughter fell in love with the person she hates the most?» she asked, a victorious and evil grin on her face.  
The witch laughed hard at those words.  
«Oh, it would be good to see that! You know… I'd rather you weren't so interested in her…» she added then calmly «Having those idiots' daughter in my hands… having the chance to make them suffer like they did me…»  
«They'll suffer more this way. They want me dead, and their precious daughter loves me.» she said laughing. «I'm not interested in her, stop it!» she scowled her then, harshly.  
A weird expression ran through Maeficent's features.  
«Think how woud it be if she fought at your side, instead… their faces seeing her on the battlefield, killing their silly friends… and then seeing her die before their eyes, as you don't care, I could tear her apart with my claws…»  
«No. I don't want her here.» Regina said standing up, ending so the conversation. Melficent didn't hide her delusion.  
«Can I at least take her to my castle? Seen that you're not using her anymore…»  
«No. I told you to leave her alone…» Regina gave her a gaze full of lust. «Am I not enough for you anymore?»  
«Of course you're enough!» the blonde exclaimed «But I want my revenge, just like you! And I have my chance one step away… I can sense her smell, Regina, I know she hasn't left!»  
«We got our revenge.» the brunette answered, laying on the bed next to her. «Stop rhinking about her.»  
Maleficent stared at her for a long moment.  
«I'll wait. For you, Regina. But, if they forgive her, I'm going to go there and take her.»  
«Stop thinking about her…» Regina repeated in a murmur, kissing her. «Just me and you. As always…»  
Maleficent let herself go at that kiss, erasing any other thought from her mind, as Regina was trying to do.


	7. Chapter 6

A couple of days had passed since Regina had freeded the princess. She had been capable of keeping Maleficent busy so that she wouldn't seek revenge on the girl. Every day she looked outside the window and saw Emma beyond the walls of her castle; the thing irritated her, but at the same time she admired the girl's courage.  
She got up and walked to the window to watch the young woman, as always,but unexpectedly she wasn't there.  
«You finally understood…» she murmured to herself with a hint of melancholy.  
«I undestood that you should train your guards better.»  
Regina turned abruptly hearing Emma's voice behind.  
«You?What are you doing here?» she exclaimed surprised. «…I thought you were finally gone.» she continued then, without taking her eyes off of her.  
Emma shrugged. She remembered only then the good manners, and she kneeled.  
«I told you that you wouldn't get rid of me so easily…»  
The queen slightly smiled seeing her kneel.  
«And I told you that I don't need you anymore. I have another person to satisfy me…as you well know.» she then said with a cold and detached voice.  
The princess gave her a hurt gaze, but she quickly got back her self –control.  
«I'm not leaving, Your Majesty.»

The woman snorted.  
«Anyone would kill to be freed but you, insolent little girl, you don't want to take the opportunity that's given to you!» she exclaimed getting closer to her « Go home.»  
Emma looked her in the eyes.  
«No, thank you.» she said, a smile in her determined stare.  
«Maleficent wants to use you against your parents…» the queen revealed after a long silence. «If she hasn't done it yet, it's because I'm keeping her busy…So why don't you go home before that she achieves her aim?»  
Emma looked at her completely astonished.  
«You're protecting me from her?»  
«No.» the brunette answered hurriedly. «I have no reason to do it. I just believe that your parents will suffer more if you tell them that you want to kill me.» she explained, turning her back to her.  
Emma stayed silent staring at her for a while.  
«They think I'm dead.» she said eventually.  
«And don't you want them to know that you are alive?» the queen plowed on without looking at her.  
The girl looked down, saddened.  
«I can't live my life lying anymore.» she said.  
Regina turned slightly her head to look at her.  
«What are you talking about?» she asked.  
Emma lifted her gaze on her, blushing.  
«They still think that I refused all of the suitors because I'm think that I see you as a think that I want the throne, someday…»  
«Why don't you want to be a princess? I'm sure that they chose the best suitors for you… why did you refuse them?» the woman asked, curious, turning completely towards her.  
The girl could barely hold back a laughter.  
«Oh, yes, poor guys, it wasn't their fault! It's just that I like… different things…»  
There was a hint of a smile on the queen's face.  
«I'm sure that they could find you a princess.»  
«They could, yes…but for the rest…»  
Regina began walking around the room, intrigued by the blonde's behavior.  
«You don't want a princess… so what do you want?» she asked her.  
Emma opened her mouth to answer, but then she changed her mind.  
«I think you know the answer, Your Majesty…»  
Regina bursted into laughter.  
«You don't want me! You simply liked what I did to you.»  
The princess gave her a hurt look.  
«You're not the only one to do such things in bed. I could easily find other that do the same things, expecially seen my title. This is not the reason why I'm still here.» she replied sharply.  
The queen suddenly approached her. She grasped her hair and pulled, forcing her to lift her face.  
«I don't think you'd find someone that doeas what I do… the way I do it…» she hissed in her ear. «Or you wouldn't still be here.»  
Emma foced herself not to react and kept staring back at her.  
«You know why I'm here.» she said «And it's not for that.»  
«You're not in love with me, you just like to fuck with me. And I can get that.» sRegina smiled with malice.  
Emma held back a laugh.  
«I can't deny that it's pleasing. Yet my heart doesn't lie.»  
«Your heart doesn't work.» the other rplied letting her go. «Anyway, I already told you that what happened between us won't ever happen again, so…» she said pointing at the door.  
Emma stayed still.  
«If you really didn't care, you would have killed me.»  
The brunette snorted in exasperation.  
«

I already told you why I didn't kill you: I want your mother to suffer… for what she did to me.» she replied glaring at her.  
«Yes, I get it. You're right.» the girl answered simply, staring back at those flaring eyes.  
Then Regina gave her a surprised gaze.  
«What? You think I'm right?»  
Emma weakly smirked.  
«That's what I was trying to tell you… I never told my parents. My mother told me about what happened and… you know… I don't want you to kill her, I mean, she's my mother, I love her. But… I understand. She made a mistake, and you paid a way too high price. So…» she explained shrugging.  
The queen grabbed her neck.  
«You know nothing, idiotic little girl!» she yelled, holding back the tears sprung by Daniel's memory. «Don't talk about things that you don't know!»  
Emma struggled to breathe.  
«Your Majesty…»  
Regina tightened her grip, blinded by her fury. Then she pushed the blonde away from her, against the wall. Emma fel on the floor, coughing for both the impact and the choking, her lungs burning.  
The queen slowly turned, hiding her eyes full of tears.  
«Now go, before I deliver you to Maleficent.»  
Emma didn't answer. She kept coughing, the air could barely find its way inside the bruised throat. She didn't move, still dazed by the hit.  
«I don't want you here. You're just a stupid little girl that talks about things that she can't understand.»  
Eventually the princess could breathe again, despite the pain that afflicted half of her body. She gazed up at the queen.  
«I'm not leaving.» she said with hoarse voice, bringing a hand to her throat as she heard its sound.  
«I don't love you and I never will, understood?» the brunette yelled at her, full of anger and resentment. «You're losing your time… I don't have a heart…»  
«I heard it beat…» the girl murmured «… so you have it. I told you, I'm not expecting you to love me back. I just want to stay here.»  
«Beat?» the queen let out a bitter laughter. «My heart stopped beating years ago… Because of your mother and your grandfather.» she said angrily, recalling her marriage.  
Emma shook her head.  
«You can even go on fooling yourself saying that, but we both know that this is not the truth.»  
Regina leaned against the wall, exasperated.  
«Do you really think that I can feel something for the daughter of the person who ruined my life? Or for his granddaughter?» she questioned, not deeming her worthy of even a glance.  
The princess looked down sighing.  
«No.» she murmured. «I don't. But I can't help feeling something for you. And I can't help wanting to stand by you.»  
«Indeed. Then why stay?» Regina asked, distractedly playing with the golden ring that Daniel gave her years before.  
The blonde's gaze fell on the ring, attracted by the movement. She shrugged.  
«Why not?»  
«What do you exactly know about me?» the queen suddenly asked. «What did your mother tell you?» she continued, clenching her fists at Snow's thought.  
Emma leaned against the wall, still sitting on the floor.  
«She told me..» she began, but hesitated, worryed about her possible reaction. «…about your loved one. That you asked her to keep your relationship secret, and she didn't, telling everything to your mother, who killed him in front of you. And that you've been forced to marry Leopold for this. And that you killed him, thanks to the Geenie, with the snakes. And then she ran from the castle.» she explained calmly, looking in her eyes.  
«What a perfect summary, my dear…» the queen sarcastically commented, her stare sombre for the anger. «… did she tell you what the king did to me?» she asked glaring at her with contempt.  
The sadness crawled inside Emma's eyes.  
«No. I imagined it myself.»  
«Don't look at me that way!» the woman commanded, getting closer menacingly. «I don't want your pity! I'm the queen!»  
«It's not pity, Your Majesty, it's sorrow.»  
«I don't want that either! I want nothing from you!» Regina screamed.  
Emma suddenly stood up and kissed her, cupping her face with her hands, neglectful about the consequences.  
Regina opened wide her eyes. She stayed stll for a moment before pushing her away.  
«How do you dare?» she hissed pushing her against the wall.  
Emma moaned for the pain, added to the one caused by the previous strike. Yet she smiled.  
«At least, if you'll think that I'm a too big annoyance for you, I'll have no regrets.» she explained.  
«You must be crazy…» the queen commented, inspecting her with her stare. «… but I must admit that you're brave…»  
She stopped hearing some paces ouside the door.  
«It's Maleficent… go away, idiot, if you don't want to become a dragon's dinner!» she quickly said under her voice.  
Emma smiled again  
«See? You care about me.» she said before running to hide inside her old room.


	8. Chapter 7

Maleficent went in without knocking, burstingo into the room like a fury.  
«Honey, your servants are idiots! I asked them deer, and they brought me some stupid pork meat! I ate the cook, to recover from the delusion…»  
Regina gazed at her, slightly arching her left brow.  
«You made me a favor, I should have killed him… I'm sorry for the deer, I'll make sure you to have it as soon as possible.»  
The blonde waved a hand in the air with nonchalance.  
«Oh, nevermind, the ccok was enough.» she said, squeezing the her eyes. She inhaled attentively with her nose. «Perhaps a messenger arrived?» she asked, staring at Regina.  
The woman approached her smiling.  
«Yes, none important…. You never told me anything about your new plans: do you still want to kill Aurora?»  
Maleficent gave her a look full of suspect.  
«I don't know, I lost interest…» she distractedly answered, looking around. Regina noted that gaze. She got closer to her.  
«I know what you're interestend in.» she said before kidding her with arrogance.  
The blode lightly laughed between her lips.  
«Oh, yes, I'm always interested in you…» she replied pushing her towards the bed. The brunette layed over it staring voluptuously at the woman above her. «You're insatiable…» she commented smirking.  
Maleficent literally ripped off her corset.  
«Hark who's talking…»  
«You know what I like…» the brunette replied grasping her dress and then dragging the blonde upon her. «…help me to relax…»  
The blonde caressed her body, kissing her neck.  
«Why, are you still nervous for the story of the princess?» she asked above her skin.  
Regina turned her head to give her more room.  
«No… a servant was disrespectful.» she answered. She then began undressing her, without bithering to be delicate.  
«Is she still alive?» the other woman inquired, without a real interest. She completely undressed her and made her hands run along her legs, going lower with the kisses.  
«Of course not!» Regina laughed. «You should know me, dear…» She moaned. «Let's focus on us now…»  
Maleficent kissed the side of her breast, licking the skin then in circles, until she reached the nipple. She held it between her lips ad sucked, looking in her eyes.  
Regina moaned louder. She tilted her hips towards her, asking for more. Maleficent pleased her immediately, touching her, rubbing her as she moved her attentions to the othe nipple, biting it.  
«Yes!» the brunette panted in pleasure, writhing under her. She pulled her hair to make her raise her head, kissing her then, muffling a moan between her lips. Maleficent moved her fingers faster.  
«Take me now.» Regina moaned with impatience.  
Maleficent penetrated her with two fingers, and with the other hand she kept rubbing against her clit, more and more fast.  
A little yell escaped the queen. Maleficent smiled increasing the rhythm.  
«Yes…» Regina gasped louder feeling her body prepare to welcome the incoming pleasure.  
«Don't stop.» she commanded.  
The door was flung open.  
«What the hell is happening?» Regina exclaimed trying to lift.  
Maleficent turned abruptly. She opened wide her eyes, then sprang to her feet, glaring at Regina.  
«You lied to me.»

Emma did try to resist. It had been quite easy at the beginning, knowing that Regina was protecting her from Maleficent. Bu then… hearing Regina moan that way had brought her way beyond the limit. Without thinking not even for a seconda t the consequences, she had sprung open the door and entered the queen's room, furious. And now Regina was glaring at her.  
«You told me she was gone…» Maleficent was saying, eyes on Regina.  
Emma stayed silent, feeling quite idiotic now.  
«And so she was.» she heard Regina answer. «I don't know what she's doing here. It's clear that my guards are quite incompetent.»  
The queen got out of bed and approached her.  
«You shall go back to the dungeon, slave.» she commanded yanking her.  
«If you must leave her to rot down there…» Maleficent said, making Regina turn to look at her. «…you may as well leave her to me…»  
«You're here anyway. She can stay in my prisons while we have fun…» the brunette replied smiling lasciviously. She squeezed Emma's arm, who stifled a moan.  
Maleficent narrowed her eyes, staring at the queen.  
«I see, I see.. I won't touch her. She's yours.» she capitulated eventually.  
Regina gave her a smirk.  
«Wait for me here, dear, so that we can resume what she interrupted, when I come back…»  
She dressed up with her magic and then pushed Emma outside the room.  
«What the hell did you think you were doing?» she angrily whispered to her as they were far enugh from Maleficent. She walked so fast that Emma was struggling to keep her pace.  
«I'm sorry, I couldn't stand it anymore…» she said, ricking to stumble. She didn't fall only thanks to Regina's support. Emma stared at her hands, that were holding her, the she glanced away, then acted like nothing happened and listened to her question.  
«What couldn't you stand?»  
«To hear you while you were with her.»  
«I do what I want, and now I just want you to stay away from me so that I can go back to my room, seen that you've interrupted me…»  
They were in the dungeon now. Regina pushed her against the bars of the first cell they found.  
«I hate not being satisfied.» the Queen plowed on.  
Emma moaned hitting the bars. She gave her a gaze full of apologies, sincerely sorry, though.  
«I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Really.» she said.  
«Can you say only that? You're just like your mother, you never think about the consequences of your actions!» Regina spat with anger. «Now, can I go back to my entertainment or shall you create more problems?»  
Emma gazed down. She turned and locked herself in the cell, leaning then against the bars to look at her.  
«Now I can't bother you anymore.» she said quietly.  
Regina walked to the bars.  
«Find yoursefl someone to fall in love with who's not your enemy.» she whispered before leaving her alone.  
Emma watched her go away. She leaned her forehead against the bars, sighing.  
«You don't look like an enemy to me…» she whispered to the empty aisle.

Regina nervously headed back to her room. She massaged her head. That girl was making her crazy.  
She entered the room.  
«Where were we?» she asked to Maleficent who, though, had fallen asleep.  
Regina grumbled, exasperated.  
«Great! As if it wasn't enough…» she commented. After a brief moment of meditation she flew out of the room, going back to the dungeons.  
«You ruined my night!» she accused the girl, who gave a jump, taken aback by her return.  
«What? I thought… Shouldn't you…?»  
«Yes, I should, but as I was wasting my time with you the one who was supposed to satisfy me fell asleep!» she barked, nervous.  
«Oh…» Emma said lowering her gaze. She wouldn't dare to apologize again.  
«"Oh"? Is that all you want to say?» the woman asked entering the cell, giving her a withering look.  
Emma opened wide her eyes seeing her come inside the cell. She stepped back instinctively.  
«No, but I would annoy you if I'd apologize, so…»  
«Now you must do something to apologize, quickly.»  
Regina pushed her against the wall, nailing her there with her body.  
She took her breath away, not because of the violence of her action, but thanks to the proximity of her body.  
«What do you want me to do?»  
«You know it well.» the Queen answered with a sparkle of arousal in her dark eyes. «Finish what Maleficent started.»  
Emma looked at her, and her eyes got wet for a moment. She the pushed her gently, to be able to kneel before her, undressing her while she lowered.  
«Good girl, obey, for once…» Regina pushed her face between her legs. «Try to please me as yu should.»  
Emma layed her lips over her, moaning slightly for the pleasure that she herself somehow felt, as if they had switched roles. She kissed her before following her perimeter with her tongue, with deliberate slowness.  
Regina, for a moment, let herself go at those feelings that the blonde kneeled at her feet was giving her. None had ever touched her with such delicacy. Her hand reached Emma's hair. She didn't pull it, as she was used to do, but she caressed it while a moan of pleasure slid out from her mouth.  
Emma closed her eyes at that gentle touch, feeling fresh tears push behind her eyelids. She kept moving her tongue, drawing every line with the tip, slow, alost with veneration.  
Regina pushed her hips towards her and leaned her hands over her shoulders, her legs shaking at every touch of her tongue. Emma couldn't hold back the tears anymore feeling her shake, so close to her. She gently caressed her legs, and moved her tongue to the core of her pleasure and slowly licked it, brushing it with her lips.  
«Yes…» Regina moaned while Emma kept licking, feeling her own core pulse at the brunette's moans rhythm. She caressed her skin as if it was the most precious thing in the world, seeing her tremble at her touch.  
The brunette felt her body react at every touch, until she bursted into pleasure with a louder moan, that she couldn't hold back.  
Emma clinged on to her, coming as she felt her reach the orgasm. She stayed breathless, dazed.  
Minutes passed, but the two of them didn't move. Regina stayed still, staring at the woman at her feet.  
Emma layed against her, anjoying that rare, prolonged contact. She didn't have the streght to wonder about the reason of that blessing. She was only trying not to think about the moment she would leave her alone in that cell.  
Regina suddenly stepped away from her. She leaned against the bars with her shoulders, her breath laboured.  
The princees watched her distance, repressing the impulse to stop her. She limited herself to look at her, leaning against the wall, exhausted.  
Regina shut her eyes, unable to bear that stare one second more. It remembered her of something she desperately wanted to erase.  
«Your Majesty…» the girl quietly called her, worried about her possible reaction.  
«Don't say a word.» the woman answered without opening her eyes, trying to drive away that weird feeling inside her chest.  
Emma immediately shut her mouth, but she didn't stop watching her with worry.  
Regina opened her wet eyes, on the brink of letting a tear run down her cheek. She shut them for a moment and opened them again when she gained back her self-control. She tidyed up her dress, avoiding the girl's stare.  
Emma opened wide her eyes, mouth-agape seeing her about to cry. She was delicate enough to look down, pretending she didn't see anything. She stayed silent as she commanded.  
The Queen walked out of the cell without locking it. She quickly walked to her room, going in it and slamming the door shut. She leaned against it and finally let the tears rush all over her face.  
Emma watched her go away without saying a word. She then laid on the ground, supine, her eyes fixed on the ceiling and her mind on the Queen, tormentend by the anguish.


	9. Chapter 8

Maleficent woke up suddenly at the noise of the door slamming. She sat on the bed, slowly focusing Regina. She goggled seeing her cry. She stayed there, paralyzed, for less than a second, the she ran to her.  
«Regina! What happened?»  
The brunette didn't answer immediately. She just let the tears flowover her face, without being able to stop them.  
«Nothing.» she answered eventually, trying to regain her composure.

The blonde dried her tears with her hand.  
«I never saw you cry before…»  
«You shouldn't, indeed.» the queen whispered. «I'm fine.» she said a moment before kissing her grabbing her with rush.  
Malefica let her do, but as they departed, she looked in her eyes.

«You can talk to me, you know it…»

«I don't want to talk.» the woman replied. She pushed her over the bed and then she sat over her. «What I want, is you to finish what you started.»  
Maleficent moved as to kiss her neck, but then she stopped to whisper in her ear: «Judging by the smell on you, looks like someone's forestalled me…»  
Regina grasped her hair and pulled.

«If you didn't fall asleep it wouldn't have happened.» she growled. «Are you jealous now?»

The dragon stared at her, her eyes darting.

«What if I am?» she asked in a challenging tone.  
Regina looked surprised.  
«Since when?» she asked.  
Malefica shrugged.

«I never had a reason to be it until now!»

«Why now? Nothing has changed.» Regina tried to reassure her, caressing her cheek. Maleficent bursted out into a bitter laughter.  
«Really?»  
«It's always me and you..» The brunette kissed her. «I'm here with you.»  
«Yes, your body is…»  
«Mal, I'm with you.» the queen repeated, laying over her. «You have no reason to be jealous.»  
The witch pinched her lips.

«Yes, alright…» she said with little convinction.  
Regina kissed her, biting her lips. She teared her dress apart and began caressing her body.  
Maleficent couldn't help but react to her touch, but also to react with less enthusiasm than the usual. Something disturbed her. Regina, though, distracted her, lightly touching her body, scratching it. Maleficent moaned and kissed her. She made her clothed disappear, trying to forget everything through the contact with her skin.

The brunette bit her neck and then rubbed her tongue over the spot where she wounded her. Her fingers touched her clit, making the woman under her moan. The blonde moved her hand closer to her, and Regina spread her legs further to make it easier for her. The queen's fingers started moving quickly inside the other woman, who couldn't hold back a cry. Mal stopped moving for a few seconds as her body got used to that unceasing movement. After a moment, though, she entered the woman towering over her with violence.

Regina didn't even try to stifle the scream that violently exited her mouth, sush was the strenght with which the blonde had penetrated her. For just a moment, her mind flew to the princess, noting the difference with which the two woman gave her pleasure. Emma was so delicate and sweet with her… She shook her head to chase away those thoughts and went on moving inside Maleficent.

The dragon screamed, for pain and pleasure, but she didn't stop moving. Fast and harsh she went in and out the brunette.  
Regina bit her shoulder, barely stiffling the moans of pain, but that didn't prevent her from going on taking her with violence and anger. The blonde spread her fingers inside her and pushed deep inside her.  
«Now I recognize you…» the queen whispered between the moans.  
Maleficent couldn't answer because of the orgasm that shook her entire body. Despite this she didn't stop moving her fingers inside the brunette, who rocked her hips towards her, coming the with a loud cry.

Exhausted, the queen layed upon her, panting.  
Maleficent hugged her, trying to catch her breath.  
«Aren't yu satisfied, my dear?» Regina asked raising her head to gaze at her.  
The dragon smirked, tensely though.

«Of course I am.» she replied. «But I feel you're distant.» she added after a few seconds.

Regina leaned her forehead against Mal's.  
«Your mind wasn't here either…»

«Because I felt like you were far away.» Maleficent replied.  
«Perhaps we both were…» the brunette said with a sigh.

«Perhaps.» the blonde repeated, playing with a lock of Regina's hair. The queen relaxed under her delicate touch.

«What's happening, Regina?» Mal asked eventually.

«I don't know…» she admitted. «… maybe I'm just tired.»

The blonde frowned.

«Take a break.» she suggested then.

Regina couldn't hold back a laughter.

«From killing Snow and her whole family?»

«Why not? You could stay at my castle for a while… I wouldn't let you get bored, I promise…» she said smiling lasciviously.  
«This might be a good idea…» the queen commented, smiling then. «And I'm pretty sure that, no, I wouldn't get bored.» she added biting her lower lip.  
Maleficent closed her eyes, enjoying the bite.  
«So, what are you waiting for?»

«Now? You want to leave now?» Regina's voice didn't hide the surprise.

The blonde tilted her head and shrugged.

«Why not?»

«You're right… let's go away.» the brunette finally decided, leaping up from the bed.  
Maleficent smiled happily. She stood up and dressed up.

«Wanna ride me, my dear?»

«Yes!» Regina answered smirking «I love riding dragons.»

«Great. Let's go downstairs, this room is too tiny for me to transform. I'd rather not destroy all of your furniture…» the dragon said smiling at her.  
«Go, I have to organize a couple of things before we leave.» the queen said before giving her a quick kiss on the soft lips.  
«As you wish, but don't let me wait for long…» Maleficent answered. She winked at her and then exited the room.

Regina waited for her to be outside, then a few seconds more before going to the dungeons.  
«Are you still here?» she asked, glancing at the blonde behind the bars.  
Emma lazily turned her head to face her.  
«Yes, Your Majesty.» she answered with a veil of sadness on her voice.

«I suppose you're leaving soon. I'm about to leave the castle.» she informed her, touching the metal bars.

«Where are you going?» Emma asked, staying still.  
«Maleficent's castle.» Regina answered, avoiding her gaze.

Emma remained silent staring at her. She then turned her head and stared at the ceiling.

«You'll leave the castle undefended…» she commented, her voice flat. «… my parent's army could push forward.»  
«I don't care. Let them take it.» the brunette sighed. «I'm tired of this castle, and its memories.»  
The princess kept staring at the ceiling. A tear slid from her cheek to the ground.  
«Then you must go. I hope you'll find peace there.»

«Emma, go home.» the queen whispered with a hint of voice. «Find that peace.» she said turning her back to her, holding back the tears.  
Emma suddenly stared at her, her eyes full of tears. Her name. She said it.  
«I am home….» she finally said, letting the tears free to run.

«Actually, you're right…» the brunette laughed. «This castle belongs to your family, you can take it back.»

The princess bitterly smiled.  
«They will.» she just said, going back staring at the ceiling. «I won't be here to see it.» she whispered.

On the queen's face a surprised look appeared.

«First you wanted to stay, now you're leaving?» she asked turning again to look at her. «You're weird, girl.»

The blonde let out a bitter laughter while the tears kept rushing all over her face. She shook her head.  
«No, I'm not leaving.» she said closing her eyes.  
«I don't understand…» the queen replied, confused.

Emma barely turned her head to look at her, a sad smile on her face.  
«My body, at least, won't leave. Unless someone doesn't move it. But I'm fraid that, as soon as you're gone, your guards will run away…»

«You want to…» Regina couldn't say out loud immediately. «….You want to kill yourself?» she eventually managed to ask.

The blonde didn't answer. She stared at her in silence, then closed her eyes.  
«Do you love me?» Regina suddenly asked, entering the cell.  
Emma smiled, her eyes still closed.  
«I'm afraid it doesn't matter anymore, at this point.» she answered.

«It could…» Regina said with a hint of voice.

Emma opened her eyes and stared at her. She did for long, as if she was looking for something in her face.

«Yes.» she finally answered, her heart beating fast.

«Good. The stop it with the self-pity. Stand up and take the reins of this castle and of this kingdom. Show me what you're worth.» she said with a challenging smirk.  
«Why should I?» the girl asked in confusion.  
«Do it.» Regina simply said. She approached her and lightly touched her lips with her own.

Emma stayed still, unable of any motion.  
«Why?» she asked again. «To know that you're far away, with another woman?»

«I might not stay away forever…» she replied, caressing her face with a trembling hand.  
The blonde closed her eyes at that contact, her still wet eyes.  
«Are you asking me to wait for you?» she asked with hesitation.  
«Maybe…» the queen answered, distancing a little from her.

Emma could do nothing but nod, opening her eyes and losing herself in teh queen's stare.  
«I'll do as you ask, Your Majesty.» she whispered.

Regina gave her a last smile before going away, leaving her alone.

The princess stood up, willing to run after her, but she stopped. She leaned against the bars, trying to give a sense to what had just happened.

Regina joined Maleficent.

«I'm ready!» she exclaimed.

«I was starting to worry.. You'd better get changed, that dress wouldn't be so comfortable during the flight… You'd get all of your skirts over your face, and I couldn't even see you…» she said smirking. Then her body was wrapped by a dense, dark smoke. The dragon emerged from it.

Regina changed her clothes and stared at the enormous dragon before her. She made a step towards her, and caressed her.

The dragon lowered to help her, looking at her out of the corner of her green eye. Regina climbed on her.

«Fly. Take me away from here.»

Maleficent pushed against the marble with the strong claws and went out of the castle. She beated her wings a couple of time and they were flying. Mal flew high, but not too much or Regina would freeze.

Regina clasped to her not to fall, the fresh air filling her lungs. Air of freedom.

Emma, still in the dungeons, heard the unmistakable paces of the dragon, then the powerful beat of her wings flying away from the castle. Only then, with her heart shattered, but full of hope, she exited the dungeons.


	10. Chapter 9

Four months later

Emma, after the Queen's departure, had taken the reins of the castle, beginning from te guards and the army.  
Astonishing her parents, she had called a truce, that had obviosly been acceptes with joy. Despite the two kingdoms were allied now, though, Emma didn't accept to unite them, with great displeasure from the two sovereigns. Also, despithe the continue requests, the new queen had never accepted to attack Maleficent's lands, not even under Stephan and George's pressures.  
Emma didn't accept visits from anyone, not even frome her parents, who she met just once, one week after Regina's departure, to from the alliance.  
She sat on the throne, tired. It wasn't like she actually did something that day, but she felt worn out, always.  
She opened the umpteenth letter from King George, who pushed her to join the war council that would have taken place in three weeks. She crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. Her gaze fell, as always, on the marks left by Maleficent's claws on the marble.

Since four months Regina lived inside the Forbidden Fortress. She actually had taken refuge in there, repudiating her feelings.  
Emma's face was always present in her thoughts, but she kept trying to banish it running otno Maleficent's arms, a pleasing company, anyway.  
She indolently got out of the bed, wrapping then herself into a nightgown when the icy air hit her naked body. She gave a glance at Mal, still asleep, then went ouside, on the balcony.  
Her gaze wandered over the far horizon, as if looking for what was once her imagined Emma sitting on the throne. She smiled, unable to do anything else at the thought of the princess.

Maleficent suddenly woke up, as always. She touched the bed without finding Regina. She turned then towards the balcony, already knowing that she would be there. She stood up and got out that way, naked, the dragon's fire to warm her up from the inside. She hugged Regina from behind, kissing her neck.  
«Something worries you, my dear?» she asked in a murmur.  
Regina tensed for a second, then she relaxed at that contact.  
«What should I be worried for?» she asked turnng her head and smiling at her. «You, instead, dream always more frequently your daughter… you're restless at night. Can I do something about it?»  
«I'm afraid you can't.» the blonde smirked. «What are you doing outside in the cold? Come inside…»  
Regina didn't move, but kept staring at her.  
«What if there's a way?»  
Mal glared at her.  
«Don't delude me, Regina…» she growled.  
«I would never do that…» the brunette replied, offended. «Not to you.»  
The dragon lowered her head, regretful.  
«Forgive me… It's just that when we talk about her…»  
«I know.» Regina lifted her face and lokked in her eyes. «But I had an idea, and maybe it might work.»  
«I'm listening.» the blonde murmured, paying more attention.  
«I know that those two idiots have a magic bean…» the queen began, staring at her. «Do you know what can it do?»  
Maleficent goggled at her and took some distance from her.  
«What?! How did they geti t? And how do you know it?»  
Regina smirked devilishly.  
«I have a spy at their castle, obviously. That stupid fairy thought she could protect them from me in case I cast a curse…» she added with dark fun sparkling in her eyes.  
Maleficent smiled, her eyes wet.  
«Regina… if we take that bean…»  
The brunette gave her a smile.  
«You could look for your daughter.» she finished for her.  
The dragon's smile, though, estinguished quickly.  
«Buti t will be safe inside their castle…»  
«I'll take care of that part. I'll make sure you have it.» Regina reassured her.  
Mal took her face between her hands, the worry clear in her blue eyes.  
«How? I don't want you to risk your life for me.»  
«Don't worry.» Regina said before kissing her. «I'll be fine.»  
The blonde didn't say anything else and gifted her with anothe kiss, full of passion, and Regina answered with as much intensity.  
«You've been away from your daughter way too long. It's not fair that you're suffering so much.» the brunette plowed on, slightly smiling.  
Maleficent stared at her with tears in her eyes.  
«Thank you.» she said smiling.  
«I owe you…» Regina replied caressing her face. «I'm leaving now. I will come back soon.»  
The blonde smirked.  
«You owe me nothing.»  
«I owe you more that you think.» Regina said, walking then out of the room  
Maleficent was left alone, a never before felt sense of gratefulness to warm up her soul.  
«Thank you.» she whispered.

Blue suddenly straightened her back. There was a new source of power in the castle. It was somehow familiar, but she couldn't say whom it belonged to. Her forehead was frowned by the worry that built up second by second. She flew quickly to the queen.  
«Snow… are you expecting visits from anyone?» she directly asked.  
The woman gave her a surprised look.  
«No. Why?» 

The fairy scowled.  
«There's something weird…» she answered, the worry increasing. «… a sorcerer, in the castle…»  
«A sorcerer?!» Snow exclaimed with surprise, opening wide her green eyes. «There's no…» She stopped, her eyes even wider. The two of them shared a terrorized stare.  
«Regina!» they shouted together.  
«I go and catch her, gather the guards!» the fairy barked, immediately flying towards the power's source.

The magic draped a long black dress over Regina's body, majestic, menacing. The woman gave a last glance at Maleficent's castle before appearing inside her enemy's, Snow White, inside the treasure's tower. Careful to stay unseen, she cautiously walked through the large circular room, checking every chest. She threw away gold, rings, pearls, a few swords.  
«Usless things…» she angrily whispered, frustrated.  
She stopped to look around. A tiny casket made of raw wood caught her gaze. She walked to it and opened it, smiling as she saw the opaque object she was looking for sparkle between the wooden, thin walls. She took the little white bean between her fingers. She had never seen one.  
«How much power inside such a tiny object…» she murmured to herself.  
«Drop it now, Regina!»  
The high and imperious voice of the fairy surprised her. She quickly moved her hand and had the bean appeared inside Maleficent's castle, away from her.  
«Good luck, my friend.» she whispered with her eyes closed. She then turned and glared at the hateful fairy. «I'm not taking orders from you.»  
Blue smirked.  
«This time you do.» she said before waving the Black Fairy's wand in the air.  
A black leather bracelet appeared around Regina's wrist.  
The woman barely noticed it. She raised her right hand to use her magic against the fairy, but the fireball didn't form.  
«What the hell did you do to me?» she yelled at Blue, rying to tear the bracelet off of her wrist.  
The fairy smiled hearing the guard's patter coming closer.  
«You'd better not resist, Regina. Oh, and you should cut your arm to take that off, without magic. » she said approaching her. «Give up, Regina: you lost.»  
The brunette glared at her with rage.  
«I might have lost, but you did too.» she smiled. «My job is done.»  
Blue stared confusedly at her, then she replied with anger: «Prepare to rot in a cell for the rest of your life.»  
A moment later Snow entered the room, followed by the guards that immediately immobilized Regina. Snow looked at her in confusion.  
«Why are you here?» she asked her.  
«I needed a thing.» the woman answered with arrogance, ignoring the fairy's words.  
«What?»  
«Ask the fairy.» Regia laughed. «She looks quite angry…»  
«She took the bean.» Blue participated, glowering at her.  
Snow alternated her gaze from Regina to Blue.  
«Why do you need it?» she questioned her enemy.  
«Nothing you need to worry about. The bean is in the hands of the person who needed it.» Regina answered, bored.  
«Regina, if you're not talking by fair means…»  
The brunette yanked the guards to move closer to her.  
«What will you do? Trust me, you can't do anything else to me!» she growled glancing at her with rage and contempt.  
Snow gritted her teeth.  
«Bring her to the dungeon.» she roughly commanded to her guards.  
The Evil Queen's laughter echoed in the room while they were taking her away.  
Snow lokked gloomily at the fairy.  
«Call James. And the council.» she ordered, exiting the room with heavy steps.

James entered almost running the council room, after that Blue had informed him.  
«How on earth that bloody witch did manage to elude the guards?» he shouted. Everyone gazed down but his wife.  
«She appeared right inside the treasure's tower… It doesn't matter now, however. She's in a cell, and without magic. But the bean is somewhere else, and who knows how many damages could it cause…»  
«We must discover whom she gave it to now!» the king stated staring at her eyes. «And we will, by any means necessary.»  
Snow pinched her lips sighing.  
«I know. We can't afford to put in danger an entire kingdom.»  
James nodded, determined.  
«Let's go to her.»  
His wife stood up with difficulty, weighed down by her age and her duties.  
«Yes, let's go…»  
Together, they walked out of the large crcular room. Blue watched them go, smirking behind their back.

After being brought to the dungeons, Regina had layed on the cell's bunk. She sighed, staring at the ceiling.  
The two rulers arrived at the dungeons a few moments later, escorted by the guards.  
«Regina.» Snow roughly called her. The woman barely turned her head to look at them.  
«How, here's the happy duo…» she devilishly smiled. «Did you miss the dungeons?»  
Snow gave her a sharp look.  
«Regina, I'm giving you a last chance: tell us who's got the bean, and why do they need it.»  
The queen sat with elegance on the filthy bunk.  
«Do you really think I'm going to tell you? You're even more idiotic than I thought…»  
Snow gritted her teeth.  
«Guards.» she simply said, moving them to make them pass. The men opened the cell and rudely grabbed Regina's arms. The woman istinctively raised her hand to use magic to defend herself, forgetting for a moment the bracelet that imprisoned her wrist.  
While two of them kept her still, one of the guards punched her in the face. The woman didn't make a sound and stayed standing, turning again her head to face the spouses, her lip bleeding.  
«Is that everything you can do?» she asked towrds Snow, smiling.  
The queen motioned towards the guards to go on.  
They hit her on her stomach, taking her breath away. Despite her legs had collapsed because of the violence of the strike, she stood up withouth levering on the guards' grasp.  
The hit wasn't enough to make her talk, and neither those who followed.

Emma was inside her chamber, Regina's ex-chamber, whe a little blue bird landed on the windowsill. The window was opened to let the morning's fresh air in. She recognized it immediately. Something serious had happened if her mother sent her one of her messengers. She leapt up and took the message, tied to the bird's tiny paw, reading it quickly then. Her face lost any trace of color as her eyes ran over the words.  
She dropped the message and stormed out of the room.  
«Guards!» she shouted, running towards the stables.


	11. Chapter 10

Emma rode for hours, incessantly, as fast as she could, the fear to spur her to go on despite the tiredness and the cold. It was late night when che arrived near her parent's castle. Sweaty and dishevelled, her horse weary, she gallopped to the fortress' door. Despite her look, the guards immediately recognized her, letting her pass.  
«Mother! Father!» she yelled while she was still dismounting. She then statred walking with decision towards the throne room, but in the middle of the hallway she found her father who, smiling, was welocoming her with open arms.  
«Emma, you're here… it's been so long…»  
Snow, joined her husband, went past him and stopped in front of her daughter, worried by the look on the woman's face.  
«Emma… what are you doing here?» she asked, unable to hold back the joy despite the worry.  
Emma didn't even bother to answer them. She pushed her father away with a thrust ad glowered at her mother.  
«Where is she?» she gloomily asked.  
«What's going on, sweetheart?» James asked, disoriented.  
Snow White didn't take her eyes off of her daughter's. She turned serious, disappointed by her behavior.  
«In the dungeons, of course.» she answered.  
Emma opened wide her eyes.  
«Did you hurt her?» she asked, her voice trembling, suddenly very pale.  
Her mother watched her, surprised and confused. She didn't answer the question.  
«Emma, dear, what's happening to you?» she sweetly asked, trying to get close to her.  
«No…» the blonde muttered, shaking her head and stepping away from them. With a sprint she rana way, towards the dungeons.  
«Emma!» the two sovereigns shouted together, chasing their daughter.

Emma stormed into the dungeons, frantically checking every cell. At the seventh try she found her. Her heart stopped beating when she saw her. Here yes filled with tears of anger and pain.  
She clasped her fingers around the cold bars, as if she could break them with that simple, raging gesture.  
«Regina…» she murmured.  
The brunette suddenly raised her head, showing her battered face, covered in coagulated blood.  
«Emma…» she whispered trying to lift. She fell back on the bunk, a hand over her ribs, moaning in pain.  
Emma smashed her fist against the bars, stifling a sob. She didn't have the key, but she had to open that door. She thought it. She just thought it, and the door, somehow, opened.  
She didn't waste any time wandering how did it happen. She went in and ran to her, gently caressing her face.  
«I'm here, I'm here… I won't let enyone touch you ever again…» she said crying. « I'm sorry… I didn't know..»

Regina stared at her in shock. She knew she didn't open the door, and she was pretty sure that Emma didn't have the keys. But she forgot everything when she felt Emma's hands on her face. She shut her eyes at that touch, that hurt and soothed the pain at the same time.  
«What are you doing here?» she whispered.  
The blonde smiled hearing her voic, even if it killed her to see her suffering.  
«I'm taking you away… can you stand up?»  
Regina weakly pushed her away.  
«You can't…»  
In that moment Snow and James bursted into the cell.  
«Emma what are you doing? Get out of here!» the queen exclaimed.  
The blonde ignored her parents and stayed next to the prisoner.  
«Why?» she asked her, confused.  
«Because your parents decided for my execution.» the brunette said lifting a little from the bunk. She looked at them for a brief moment above the woman's shoulders, then she layed down again. «Go home, Princess.» she coldly added.  
«None's gonna kill anyone, I promise. And they won't stop me when we leave.» Emma said confidently, threatening her parents with a glare.  
Her mother stared at her with dread in her eyes.  
«Emma… you can't set her free, she'll kill us all…»  
Regina sighed, exhausted.  
«Can you talk about this somewhere else? I don't care about your family issues…» she said with a bored tone.  
Emma looked at Regina, as if she was weighing her for a long, silent moment.  
«Hold on.» she commanded then, rapidly taking her in her arms and standing up, barely ignoring her moans of pain.  
«Let me down!» the brunette growled, in pain.  
«No, Your Majesty.» the woman replied taking her towards the door.  
«Emma, let her down…» James ordered, but Emma didn't listen to him.  
Regina, exhausted, leaned her head against Emma's shoulder and closed her eyes as the blood started back flowing from the wounds, wetting the princess' clothes.  
Emma gritted her teeth to stay calm feeling the lukewarm liquid seep through the linen and silk threads.  
Standing before the cell door, the exit obstucted by the two sovereigns, Emma glowered at them. The two, however, didn't move.  
«Move.»  
«No, Emma. We can't let you do this.» James said, pained.  
«Emma…» Regina muttered, fainting in her arms.  
The blonde gazed at the woman she loved, making sure with that glance that she was still breathing, destroyed by her conditions. With her eyes full of tears and rage, she stared at her parents.  
«Let me go or I shall declare war on you now.» she growled.  
«Why are you doing it? Why do you care about that woman? She made you a prisoner!» the king shouted with anger. «I don't even want to imagine what she did to you…. And now you're defending her?»  
Emma looked at her father. Rage was boiling inside her, and she was not intentioned to held it back.  
She was disgusted by them, by their actions.  
«Nothing I didn't want. Shes better than you, it seems.» she replied leaning towards him.  
«What are you saying? What did that monster do to you?»  
«Nothing!» she shouted, out of patience. «Now let me go, or I will keep my promise.»  
James stared at her with suspect and sadness.  
«You're under her control, there's no other explaination…»  
«No, she doesn't have magic…» his wife objected. She stared at her daughter's eyes for long. Eventually, she moved, letting her room to pass. «Go, Emma.» she said.  
Emma stared at her mother astonishingly. She finally calmed down. She smiled at her.  
«Thank you. » she said before passing next to her, without looking at her father. As she was walking by, her mother hit her nape with her dagger's hilt. James caught her daughter before she could hit the floor, passed out. He let Regina fall, instead.  
«What do we do now?» he asked his wife.  
«Take her upstairs and lock her up inside her old room. I'll take care of Regina.» she answered. She nodded towards the guards, that grabbed the brunette and brought her back in the cell.  
James nodded.  
«Alright. But we need to talk about what's happening between them.»  
«There's nothing to talk about. When Regina's dead, noting can happen.» Snow gloomily replied while locking the cell's door.

Emma woke up while she was still in her father's arms. She immediately tried to struggle, despite she was still dazed.  
«Let me go!» she yelled struggling with all her strenght.  
«Calm down!» her father said putting her on the bed. «You're safe now. Get some rest.»  
Emma pushed hima way trying to run to the exit, but the king stopped her.  
«No! Regina!» she screamed, struggling against the man's hold.  
«Forget about her! She'll be dead soon!»  
«No!» the girl yelled again. She tryed to punch him but James grabbed her hand and stopped her definitively.  
«Emma, what the hell did she do to you?»  
The blonde tried to kick him, weeping.  
«Let me go!»  
«Calm down, it will be fine… She's not hurting you anymore…»  
«No! You don't understand! She nevr hurt me!»  
«It's evident that she did…» James said hugging her. «But it'll pass… You're back now…»  
Emma sobbed against him, trying again, uslessly, to free herself.  
«You don't understand! Please, let her go… I love her…»  
The man froze at those words. He stared at his daughter with his blue eye wide open.  
«What? Emma, that's not possible…»  
The woman looked at him, trying to focus his face beyond the thick veil of tears.  
«It is so, father…» she whispered.  
«You… you think you love her. You were her prisoner, you didi it to survive… but now you're safe and sound.» he said, hesitating, looking for a plausible explaination, an acceptable one.  
«No! Please, I'm begging you, listen to me! You must set her free! She won't hurt anyone!»  
«Just because we blocked her magic, or we'd be all dead.»  
«If she wanted you dead we wouldn't be here to talk about it!» Emma shouted, desperate.  
«The king sighed, trying to dissipate the confusion that was fogging his mind.  
«Wait for me here, I'm going to talk to your mother.» he said, not knowing what else to do.  
Emma watched him leave with hope. She started walking up and down the room, too agitated to stay still, painfully aware of Regina conditions.

«We have a problem.» the king annouced gazing at his wife.  
«Is Emma fine?» Snow asked, worried about her daughter's conditions.  
«No, she.. said things…» he tried to explain, failing.  
«What sort of things?» the queen asked leaning a hand over her husband's arm.  
«She said she loves Regina!» he said all at once, unable to hold it back anymore. Snow turned pale.  
«I must have hit her too strongly…» she whispered.  
«I don't think so… she did nothing but repeat it while she was desperately crying, she only wants to see her..» the king plowed on.  
«That's not possible.» the queen said.  
«She must have done something to her while she was keeping her prisoner.. even if she denies it.» James explained.  
«Of course she does, she must have instructed her.» the woman stated.  
«Buti f we kill the queen we could destroy our daughter.»  
Snow sighed staring thoughtfully at her husband.  
«You're right. So, what do we do?»  
«We must wait for her to recover so that she will want to kill her herself…» he suddenly said.  
The woman kissed him.  
«You're a genius.»  
«I know, now we must understand what to do with them. Emma wants to visit her!» he said trying to find a solution.  
«We can't allow her. We must keep them separated.» Snow replied with determination.  
«This way, though, we could increase her attachment to her…» James objected.  
«So what do you suggest?» his wife asked, out of patience.  
«We should let them meet…»  
«What?» Snow goggled.  
«I don't like it either.» the kind replied. «But it's the only way to keep her calm.»

Emma abruptily turned hearing the door open.  
Her parents stepped into the room.  
«We took a decision…» her mother announced. «You can visit Regina, occasionally.»  
«What?» Emma asked, astonished.  
«We love you, we just want to protect you…» her father explained.  
«So can I see how's she? She's wounded…» Emma asked with impatience, looking at them.  
«Yes, come.» James sighed, accompanying her to the dungeons then.

Emma ran to the prisoner's cell.  
«Regina!» she called her clinging to the bars.  
The brunette barely moved her head, dazed by the strong headache and nausea. She barely opened her eyes, giving her a brief glance before shutting them close.  
«Let me in!» the blonde asked her parents, without looking at them.  
«We allowed you to see her but you can't go closer to her.» James said severely.  
«She's hurt! She needs cures, she might die!» she shouted.  
«It's not our problem.» her father simply answered.  
«We'll get her cured…» his wife corrected him. «But you can't go closer to her.»  
Emma stared at them for a moment, then she locked herself up into the cell next to Regina's-  
«I'm staying here until you send a doctor to cure her.» she annunced, challenging them.  
«You can't stay here. You're a princess, a queen!» James exclaimed, indignant.  
«Emma, stop it… Guards, the key.» Snow commanded.  
«I'm not moving until I knwo she's fine.»  
«You're stubborn…» James commented. He then ordered the guard to go call a doctor.  
«What did she do to you to reduce you to this?»  
«Nothing.» Emma articulated.  
«You weren't like this before, you went there to kill her…» her father replied.  
A the three of them were discussing, the doctor came and, as commanded, started to cure the prisoner's wounds. Regina weakly moaned at his touch.  
Emma stopped listening to the sovereigns and turned to watch her. She silently checked every move of the doctor, clinged to the bars that separated them.  
As the man, once he finished to clean and bandage the wounds, was washing his hands in a bucket full of clean water brought by his assistant, Regina was finally able to open her eyes. She looked beyond the bars, meeting Emma's stare. The queen looked back at her, relieved but still worried. She couldn't hold back the tears.  
«Don't worry…» she whispered to her. «Everything's gonna be fine.»  
Regina weakly nodded then closed her eyes as a tear ran over her face.  
Emma leaned her forehead against the bars, going on crying silently.  
Snow White opened the cell's door. She gazed at her daughter. Her heart broke seeing her that way.  
The blonde stayed as long as she could to watch the prisoner, but she had to exit the cell eventually.  
«She shall have food and water, or I will refuse to eat and drink. I'm asking you nothing more.» she said under her voice, in order to don't disturb Regina.  
snow gritted her teeth, but nodded.  
«Alright.» the king capitulated, clenching his fist. «But now go back to your room.»  
Emma gave Regina alast glance before walking away withouth answering him, headed to her room.


	12. Chapter 11

Emma had to wait for two days before she could visit Regina again.  
She got cautiously close to the cell, careful not to make a sound just in case she was sleeping.  
Here yes filled with tears as she saw her.  
«Hey…» she softly said, smiling.  
Regina bareli gave her a glance.  
«Princess.» she coldly replied.  
«How are you feeling, Your Majesty?» the blonde asked shyly, trying to get a grip of herself.  
«Seen the situation, I guess you can pass to less formal tones.» the woman replied slightly lifting on her arms, her lips pushed together to hold a moan of pain. «Now our roles are inverted.»  
Emma istinctively stretched a hand thrugh the bars.  
«Don't make efforts!» she exclaimed. She then looked at her own hand as if it was someone else's. She pulled it back. «No, it's not like that.» she objected then «I'm not the one who's keeping you prisoner, but those idiots…»  
«Something we agree on.» the brunette smiled. «Don't worry. I've been through worse.»  
Emma forced herself to smile.  
«You'll never have to do it again.»  
«That's what I deserve for what I've done.» Regina said standing up. «A few days, and all of this will be over.»  
«I don't think you deserve this… And, as long as I'm alive, none will execute you.»  
«Your parents must choose, and I think I agree with them…» Regina fixed her dark eyes in Emma's. «I'd rather die than spend my life behind the bars.»  
«You won't spend your life here!» the blonde exclaimed, shocked. «I'll take you out of here, one way or another!»  
«You must do nothing. Just go away.»  
Emma hit a bar with an open hand.  
«I'm not letting you die, get it through your head!»  
«You don't get to decide that.» the brunette angrily replied, menacingly getting closer to the bars. «None will get to decide on my behalf ever again.»  
«You're letting my parents decide on your behalf. I'm just trying to prevent it.» the girl objected, staring back at her.  
«You won't chose wheter I live and your parent won't decide how and when I'm going to die.» the other woman gloomily stated.  
«Good, perfect! Indeed, I will only get you out of here! The you'll obviously be free to go wherever you want and with whoever you desire, and you won't be under anyone's control!» Emma shouted, a note of exasperation in her voice.  
«To be chased by those two idiots once again? No, enough. I've done the last thing I had to do. No I can stop fighting.»  
«Over my dead body they will chase you. You oìwon't ever have to fight again.» Emma promised, her eyes widened by fear and determination.  
«Emma…» regina said approaching the bars that separated them, looking in her eyes. «The time has come for you to go on.»  
The blonde hit the bar again.  
«I have no intentions to do so.» she said in an angry whisper, her eyes filled with tears.  
«You're a princess… no, a queen. You must act like one.» Regina touched her hand. «Find a prince, a princess, whoever you want, and rule your kingdom.»  
«I am acting like one. I'm protecting my people. I won't let an injustice happen, the death of a person of valor like you. A marriage wouldn't make me a true queen. If I have to rule alone, then I will, but only because you're the only person I want beside me. But I won't let my family hurt you again. If I must dethrone them to impede it, I'm ready to do it.»  
«It's not an injustice. I've killed hundreds of people, and I must pay for my actions.» the brunette objected. She stretched a hand between the bars and caressed her face, taking her breath away. «You'll be a magnificent queen. That's why I gave you the palace.» she smiled at her.  
Emma's voice was trembling when she answered.  
«And which sovereign didn't? Every king and queen of this world have killed even thousands of people to pursue their purposes! Look at my parents now: waging war on you, how many soldiers are they sacrificing? Even George, and Stephan, that aren't even threatened by you. No, you're not worse than them. If you deserve to die, then all of them do. And I'm willing to make sure that everyone knows that.» she said, determined.  
«You will have everyone standong against you, it's sensless…» the bruentte said lifting Emma's face and giving her an intense gaze. «And you can never rule with me. None would accept it, just the thought is pure madness. I should have killed you right away…» she sighed «… before you to became someone for me…»  
Emma leaped back, shocked.  
«W-what?»  
Regina stepped awya from the bars, happy that they were here to divide them.  
«Nothing. Go away now, you bored me.» she sharply commanded, turing her back to her.  
Emma launched herself against the bars.  
«Wait! With the people by my side, none will oppose!» she plowed on.  
The brunette gave her a smile, buti t was the sadness to curve that lips upwards.  
«The people wants my head.» she said, stepping again towards her. «It's pointless to argue about it. I gave you the possibility to show me who you are and you're wasting it, Princess.»  
«i'm not here to show you anything. I'm here to save your life.»  
«I didn't ask you this.» Regina glared at her with contempt. «i want nothing from you.»  
The blonde sighed and slightly lifted her chin.  
«I know. As I know that you're refusing to drink and eat.» she suddenly changed the subject. «Be aware that I'm doing the same, and I shall continue until you decide otherwise.»  
«What I do is non of your business! You're none!» the other one shouted, angry. «Do you really thingìk that just because I saved your life you mean anything to me? You're wrong.»  
Emma nodded anc clenched her jaw.  
«If you don't care, do go on. One more body to dispose of won't be a problem for the kingdom.»  
«Go away and never com back!» Regina yelled at her hitting the bars with her hands.  
Emma stayed still where she was, simply gazing at her. She didn't move even when the woman turned her back to her and layed on the bunk, facing the wall. Silent and hidden tears ran over the prisoner queen's face. The only movement that the other woman made was to look down. They stayed that way, in silence, for the time necessary to Regina to run out of patience.  
«How long are you going to stay thet to stare at me?»  
Emma looked up at her, surprised.  
«Actually, I was staring at the floor.»  
The tiniest smile appeared on the brunette's face.  
«Yeah, sure, I can feel your eyes on me…» she mocked her.  
The blonde's eyes brightened, lightened up by a smile.  
«So, do you know how to get out of here without being caught?» she asked her, reinvigorated by Regina's tone, who held back a laughter at her question.  
«Of course, yet I'm not willing to tell you.»  
Emma smirked again.  
«So there is a way..»  
«You're a pain in the arse… don't you have anyone else to bother?» Regina gìsighed in exasperation.  
«Nope. So, how do we get out of here?»  
The brunette snorted.  
«There are secret tunnels that lead out of the castle. Happy?»  
The smile disappeared frome the young queen's face.  
«No: they destroyed that passage years ago.»  
«Then you're stuck here, Princess. There are no other possible ways out.»  
Emma stayed still. She was looking at Regina, but her mind was elsewhere, her lips slightly departed. The brunette turned her head, made suspicious by the prolonged silence.  
«Emma?» she called her.  
The girl suddenly recovered. She blinked repeatedly.  
«I know how.» she said, suddenly distressed.  
Regina looked at her in confusion.  
«Good, then you can go away and let me be…»  
Emma shook her head.  
«Don't worry about anything.» she murmured before taking a deep breath. «Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee.»  
Regina leaped up hearing that name.  
«No! What the hell are you doing?» she shouted.  
A swirling black smoke appeared before Emma. A giggle announced the Dar One's arrival.  
«Hello, dearie…»  
Emma was mouth-agape seeing him. His looking was dreadful. His eyes, most of all, were terrifying. She recovered soon, though, determined to save the queen.  
«I need your help, Dark One.» she announced, confident.  
«No, that's not true!» Regina said staring at him. «Go away, we don't need you!»  
The man looked at her with an annoyed grimace on his squamous face.  
«Shut up, dearie, none asked for your opinion…» he scolded her before talking to the blonde. «Tell me, how can I help you, Princess? Oh, no, pardon me, you're a queen no…» he laughed.  
«We need to get out of here.» she replied, ignoring the comment. «And to go to her… my castle. Safe and sound, of course.» she added, giving him a knowing look.  
Regina furiously growled at him, frustrated. She looked at Emma.  
«Don't listen to him! He cares only about himself. Magic always comes with a price, don't listen to him!» she begged her.  
But the Dark One sneered at the blonde, showing his rotting teeth.  
«Of course. But I want something in return.» he singed tilting his head and waving hishands in the air.  
«Obviously…» Emma replied, giving a glance at Regina. «What is it?»  
«Don't give him anything Emma, listen to me for once!»  
Rumplestiltskin giggled, dramatically waving his hands.  
«Oh, a simple object that your family possess… a wand, nothing more…»  
The girl frowned trying to understand what he was talking about.  
«Which wand?»  
«No!» Regina stretched between the bars managing to grab the blonde's sleeve. «Don't give him anything!»  
«The Black Fairy's wand. Blue should have it, if I'm right…» the Dark One answered.  
«How on earth should I take it from her?» Emma shouted, made nervous by the rumor of steps she was starting to hear upstairs.  
Regina yanked her, tearing a bit the silk sleeve.  
«You mustn't indeed, damn it!» she exclaimed, a hint of desperation in her voice.  
The steps were closer.  
«Your problem, not mine!» the man answered, totally ignoring Regina. He then made a long scroll appear and a quill, and handed them to Emma. «Do we have a deal?» he asked looking in her eyes.  
Emma hesitated looking at the scroll. She had no idea how to take the wand from the fairy.  
«Emma don't sign anything!» Regina said louder, trying to catch her attention, uslessly.  
«We're running out of ti-ime…» the Dark One sang making the scroll sway.  
They heard the king's voice yell his daughter's name.  
Emma gazed at Regina and in that moment she made her coiche. She signed the contract.  
They disappeared the moment when James and his guards entered the dark hallway.


	13. Chapter 12

«No!» Regina yelled seeing Emma sign the contract. She couldn't stop her though, and everything around them disappeared.  
They materialized in her castle's throne room. Emma looked at Regina and put a hand over her arm.  
«Are you alright?»  
The brunette avoided her.  
«No, I'm not, you idiot! Can't you do what's told to you for once?» she shouted at her.  
Emma was floored by her rant.  
«No.» she replied. «But I can send a messenger to Maleficent if you wish, even if I'd rather have him back in one piece, this time…»  
«What the hell has Maleficent to do with this?» the woman asked, astonished. «Are you jealous of her?»  
«If you'd like to leave…. Not that I want it, you know it…» she explained with a bit of embarass. «Otherwise, which I hope, I can have your room prepared, because…»  
«The room?» Regina approached her menaciously. «Which room? Are you so naive to think that your parent won't come and look for us? That they'll stop wanting me dead? And Anway, if I'd ever choose to stay, I'd sleep in my room!» she shouted eventually.  
«My parents can't come here!» the blonde replied staring back at her. «Marry me and they won't be able to touch you! Ever again!» she exclaimed.  
«What?» Regina looked at her, astounded. «Are you out of your mind? Marry _me_? And then what, we'll live happily ever after?»  
Emma stared at her with her mouth half-opened, uncertain about the answer.  
«Well… yeeeenno, of course, because I'm insufferable to you… But you won't have to see me that often, if that's what you want. Only at meals. Or not even then, if you wish. Your choice.»  
«So, help me understand: you want me to marry you, and we should never see each other?» Regina stared at her as if she was crazy. «Seriously?»  
Emma closed her mouth and loudly exhaled with her nose.  
«If that's what you want, yes.» She looked down. «You shouldn't even… I mean… you'd be free to do anything. You'd just gain the certainty that my parents won't attack you anymore.»  
Regina sighed.  
«So for you it would be fine if I'd let Maleficent come here and be with her despite the marriage?» she asked, watching her moves as she was talking.  
Emma clenched her teeth, barely giving her a glance. She tormented her hand and swallowed, nervous.  
«I told you, I'm asking you nothing. You'd be free to do as you wish, I don't mean to be an obstacle. I just want to help you.» she murmured.  
Regina gazed at her with tenderness.  
«You're completely crazy…» she smirked. «I gave the magic bean to Maleficent, so that she could go and find her daughter.» she explained. «But the fact that you'd accept that… Do you love me this much?»  
Emma was left speechless for a moment. She stared at her without hiding what she was feeling. A smile appeared on her face.  
«I thought it was quite clear, by now…»  
Regina made a step towards her.  
«But you'd be ready to be unhappy just to be with me.»  
The blonde glanced down, just for a moment.  
«Knowing that you're happy would be enough, for me.» she answered.  
The queen walked to her and took the princess' face between her hands to kiss her. Despite the initial surprise, Emma kissed her back, holding the woman in her arms.  
The brunette pushed her against the wall, still kissing her. She broke the kiss just for a moment to whisper on her mouth: «This means nothing, that is clear.»  
She rubbed her body against Emma, who nodded while she was trying to lift her dress, too into it to answer to her.  
The two women ripped their clothes off, their hand running fast on their bodies.  
Regina pushed Emma on the floor and rode her. The blonde looked at her from below, admiring her beauty. She caressed her legs, looking in her eyes.  
«I hate what they've done to you…» she whispered with a hint of voice, noticing the bruises on her skin.  
The brunette sighed.  
«They'd be all gone if I had my magic. Anyway, I don't want your pity.» she said moving then away from her.  
Emma grabbed her hand.  
«It's not pity. It's anger.» she corrected her, holding her hand, seeing only in that moment the bracelet she was wearing. She touched its surface with a finger. «I had never seen it before…»  
Regina moved her arm, interrupting the contact.  
«That stupid fairy.» she growled. «She took my magich with that and I can't take it off.» she said with frustration.  
The princess sit and held out her hand.  
«May I see it?»  
The queen nodded and leaned her hand on hers.  
«I don't think you can do anything.»  
The blonde turned her wrist, examinating the bracelet. She slighlty lifted it to see the inner part, and the bracelet slipped off.  
Regina hurriedly moved her hand frome hers. Her astonished look met the blonde's confused one.  
«How did you do it? I tried for days..» she asked.  
«I… don't know. I just wanted to look at it and it took off on its own…» the younger woman explained.  
Regina's eyes suddenly shined.  
«When you found me in the dungeons the door was locked… but you came in…» she said. «It was you.»  
Emma was more and more confused. She remembered that moment, but all she wanted was to go to Regina.  
«What? No, it was…»  
«You have magic.» the brunette affirmed staring at her.  
«No, that's not possible. I wouldn have known. Blue would have told me…» the princess murmured, ever so confused.  
«Sure, you should trust that moth.» she replied with irony. «Let's try!» she wxclaimed then grabbing her hand. «Close your eyes.» she commanded then.  
Despite the confusion, Emma did as she was told. She took deep breaths holding Regina's hands.  
«Think about something, anything… imagine its shape, its color.» the queen whispered. Emma tried to focus, frowning. The brunette's voice was low and vibrating.  
«Concentrate on every very detail and then imagine it in your hand.» the queen plowed on. Emma did. She imagined every curve of the metal, its coldness, its gleam. The diamond that stole the light only to reflect it, the dimension, the weight. That now she thought she was feeling on her palm.  
Regina grinned looking at the ring that had appeared in Emma's hand.  
«I was right, you have magic.»  
Emma snapped open her eyes, confused by her words. She gazed at the ring, and she almost made it fall.  
«How's this possible?» she asked, astounded.  
Regina smiled at her.  
«You have a great potential… How is it possible that you never realized that?»  
«I.. don't know, I didn't even ever think about it! And none uses magica t palace, but Blue…»  
«That silly fairy must have known… You have a great power. And, if you'd learn how to use it, none could stop you.»  
«About that…» Emma looked down, at the black bracelet left on the floor. She took it. «… i might use this. If I have to take that wand, I need a way to avoid a spell.»  
Regina stood up.  
«You can't go back there, it's dangerous. You shouldn't have signed that bloody deal.» she said giving her a glance that was a mix between worry and anger.  
The blonde watched her.  
«It was the only way… Plus, it's not dangerous. For me.»  
«It won't be dangerous to go in, but magic always comes with a price, and he will want more than he asked… trust me, I know.»  
«The deal was anly about the wand…»  
«With him, you never know.» the brunette replied while dressing up with magic adn healing her wounds.  
Emma sighed in relief seeing her skin intact again. She looked down and saw the ring, that she almost forgot. She smirked watching it.  
«Better…» the other woman smiled, satisfied. «What are you going to do?»  
«Mh?» the blonde muttered looking back at her, distracted for a moment by her thoughts.  
«Do you want to go and take the wand?»  
«Oh. Yeah, sure.» Emma shrugged. «I don't think I have a choice.»  
Regina approached her.  
«I'm coming with you.»  
«No! No way! You saw what happened last time!» the blonde exclaimed, leaping up.  
«You made that damn deal because of me, so I'm coming with you and there's nothing you can do to stop me.»  
«It wasn't your fault, but my parents'!» Emma walked to her and took her hands.  
«Regina, please… I couldn't bear it if anything would happen to you...»  
«I have my magic back. I can fight and I'm coming with you.» the brunette replied, avoiding the contact.  
Emma stayed silent for a while.  
«What would happen if I didn't honour the deal?» she asked eventually.  
«Better not to know. Emma, you don't play with the Dark One. We must get him wand and hope that he won't ask for anything else.»  
The girl sighed nodding.  
«Alright, alright… we'll find a way. But now you must eat something and then get some rest. Guards!» she yelled a moment after, angered.  
Regina sneered.  
«You have learned well.» she commented. «You almost shout better than me…»  
Emma laughed while watching a guard come running to them. He still wore the black armour, but his face was exposed. She immediately recognized him. The boy goggled at them, and he stepped back seeing Regina. Then he fell down on his knees hailing them with a trembling: "Your Majesty" repeated twice, very quickly.  
«Stand up, Jonas. I would like to know why the surveillance in this castle leaks like a sieve, as always. We've been here since an hour at least, and none didn't even notice us?»  
Jonas barely glanced at her, too scared by Regina's presence to raise his head. He started sweating copiously.  
«I d-don't know… We weren't waiting for you to come back so soon…»  
«Who you weren't waiting for, me or her?» Regina asked, staring at him, amused by his terror.  
Emma gazed at her out of the corner of her eye, barely holding back a smile.  
The guard abandoned any prudence and looked up at the brunette in confusion, gazing then at the blonde. He gasped.  
«B-both.» he managed to answer eventually.  
«And you're supposed to be a guard? You're scared of your own shadow…» regina approached him menaciously. «Make yourself useful and make them prepare us some food before I decide that you're completely useless.»  
«Yes, Your Majesty…» the man said hurriedly, running towards the kitchen.  
«Oh, and, Jonas…» Emma called him, making him stop. She held back a smile of compassion seeing him so pale. «Remember to breathe.»  
The guard nodded and ran away.  
Regina bursted into laughter, amused.  
«I see that you've kept my kingdom in fear. I didn't think you had it in you.»  
«I didn't, indeed.»  
«He looked quite scared to me…» the brunette replied, taking a look around then. «You didn't change anything.» she commented with a hint of surprise in her voice.  
«Of you, not me! The worst I've done was to dock his pay!» the younger woman laughed. She watched Regina, then, the smile still on her lips. «I didn't…»  
Regina suddenly turned to look at her.  
«I want ot go to my room.»  
Emma nodded, showing her the way with the hand she was holding the ring with.  
«Of course.»  
They quickly walked through the hallway, to the queen's chambers. The brunette opened the door and looked inside.  
«Everything looks the same even here.» she moved her gaze through the objects. «You didn't move a thing.»  
«Of course I didn't.» the blonde answered. She leaned with her shoulder against the door's jamb and crossed her arms under her chest.  
«Looks like you didn't sleep here…» Regina said touhing the bed, only to sit on it then.  
Emma gazed down.  
«I did, actually…» she confessed glancing at her. «But not always.»  
Regina stared at her, surprised and curious.  
«Why is that?»  
«When… Some days were worse than others. When I felt really bad I came here to sleep. When I felt worse…» Emma hesitated, glancing down again.  
«Come here.» the brunette whispered touching the sheets. «Tell me about it.»  
Emma obeyed sitting next to her.  
«I slept in the dungeons.» she said alla t once, without looking at her.  
Regina took her face between her hands.  
«Why?» she whispered, a slight sense of guilt to pinch her heart after so much time.  
Emma lifted her gaze.  
«Because that way I could pretend that you were here, in this room, instead that miles away.»  
«I'm sorry…» the other woman whispered with a hint of voice. «I hurt more than I thought. I didn't think you really cared about me. I thought you'd be over it as I was gone.»  
The blonde smiled sweetly caressing her face.  
«It's enough to have you here now…» she said handing her the ring, shyly.  
Regina gazed at the object, then stared back at Emma.  
«What am I supposed to do with that?»  
Emma shrugged and slightly tilted her head.  
«It's not a real proposal without a ring.»  
«Emma, you don't have to do this… it makes no sense…» the brunette murmured, her heart beating fast in her chest.  
«To me it does.»  
Regina caressed her face.  
«You're a princess… a good person. I…» she sighed. «I'm the opposite.»  
«First of all…» the blonde began leaning forward. «… I'm a queen, and then you're not my opposite.»  
Regina hid a smirk gazing down.  
«Now you're the queen? No, my dear…» she moved her face closer to Emma's. «… I am the queen.» she then whispered in her ear.  
Emma shivered, and smiled. Taking advantage of the proximity, she brought her lips closer to the brunette's ear.  
«You're gorgeous…» she whispered.  
Regina's heartbeat sped up again.  
«How do you do it?»  
Emma moved aside only to look into her dark eyes.  
«Do what?»  
«The brunette took her hand and put it on her chest, over her heart.  
«This.»  
Emma felt the strong beats of her heart under her fingers. She closed her eyes at that feeling and leaned her forehead against Regina's.  
«I'm doing nothing.» she whispered.  
«None had manaed to do it again… Why did it have to be you?» the queen asked in an anguished murmur.  
The blonde opened her eyes, distancing a little to focus her face.  
«Why not?»  
«Because you're the daughter of the person that I most hate in the world. Because of her, I lost my true love.»  
Emma caressed her face, suddenly sad.  
«I'm sorry. I can't change that. If I could give my life to change yours, since the beginning, I would…»  
Regina put a finger over her lips.  
«You can't change the past. But I hate you for what you're doing to me. My heart had to stay sealed.»  
Emma frowned, worried and sorry. She stayed silent for a while.  
«I believe that your heart did never close, Regina…»  
She said her name as if it was the most beautiful word ever. She approached her and closed her eyes, feeling her only with her lips in a delicate kiss.  
Regina kissed her back, for the first time with tenderness, without trying to get the upper hand over her. She leaned her hands over her face, caressing it.  
Emma licked her lips. Regina detached from her to catch her breath and leaned her forehead against hers.  
«Is everything alright?» the blonde asked her.  
«Yes.» the queen answered avoiding her stare.  
«Hey…» Emma whispered caressing her face.  
Regina layed down on the bed, dragging the younger woman upon her.  
The princess' heart lost a beat before the woman's stare. She gently moved a lock of dark brown hair from her face.  
«I love you.» she whispered, her heart that felt like it was about to explode inside her chest.  
The brunette stayed still, unable to say anything.  
Emma noted her discomfort and kissed her, hiding her fear behind closed eyes. Regina kissed her back and hugged her. Her hands stroking her back, gently, without scratching ita s she was used to.  
The blonde let herself go caresing her body through the clothes with a hand while with the other one she kept herself a bit lifted from her so that she wouldn't be heavy on her.  
The queen slowly undressed her, without using magic, running her fingers on the skin that she was uncovering.  
Emma brought her hands behind her back and unknotted the corset of Regina's dress. She then loosened the laces, but Regina's touch slowed her down, pleasingly distracting her. She had never been so gentle. Emma gazed down at her hand, watching it slide over her skin.  
Regina took off her dress, making her lift her arms. She then touched her breasts, lingering on one nipple, starting to tickle it.  
Emma stopped undressing her to taste her every touch. She moaned and the brunette smiled hearing her. She lifted to geto her mouth to the nipple, and she sucked it. The blonde moaned louder, her core contracted. The queen, encouraged by her moans, went on licking and sucking with greed, her hand striking Emma's back.  
The blonde let out a muffled cry.  
«Regina…» she panted, aroused, arching her back at the queen's hand passage.  
Regina smirked and let go her breast to let her lay under her. She rode the princess and ran her hands all over her body, almost as if she was studying it.  
The blonde let her do it, relaxing under her touch. She admired her body, still wrapped in her clothes.  
«I missed you…» she murmured looking her in the eyes.  
The brunette kissed her to shut her up. She moved a hand between her legs and forced her to spread them, then she began tickling her clit, already wet and needy.  
Emma groaned between her lips and tilted her hips towards her. Her breath fastened, as her heartbeat.  
Regina slid her finger over her clit, up and down. Emma's moans filled the room. Feeling her ready the brunette penetrated her with two fingers, careful not to hurt. She closed her eyes feeling her hot and quivering. She moved her fingers inside her.  
«Yes! Don't stop…» Emma cried out, almost begging her.  
The brunette sneered and went on moving quickly inside her. She spread her fingers and pushed deep inside her.  
The blonde's cryes echoed again.  
«Don't stop…» she begged again, on the edge of the orgasm.  
Regina continued ever faster, enjoying her means until she watched her come. Emma clinged on to her, then flopped on the bed, short of breath, eyes wet.  
The brunette slowly pulled her fingers out of her and layed next to her after kissing her.  
Emma's chest was moving fast. As she caught her breath she turned toward her.  
The blonde's hand started to explore her body. From her arm she went to her hip, then the thigh, where she stopped. She started to pull her skirt, uncertain, as if she was asking her permission.  
«It's not the first time you touch me.» the queen replied as if she had read her mind.  
The princess blushed moving closer to her.  
«I know… but it's the first time you're not commanding me to do it.» she replied.  
«You never rebelled… On the contrary, the first time I didn't ask for your service, you looked quite upset.»  
Emma laughed.  
«Upset?» she repeated «I smashed a chest and I almost got my foot broken…»  
«It's not what you would expect from someone who's forced to do something like this.» the brunette commented.  
«I never said I dislike it…»  
«I well know you don't.» Regina laughed before kissing her.  
Emma undressed her, impatient now. She gazed at her naked body. Beautiful. She touched her legs to spread then, and started moving her fingers against her, in circles.  
Regina groaned against her mouth.  
The blonde kissed her eagerly looking for her tongue while her fingers kept tormenting her. She increased the rythm but not the pressure, enjoying her pleasure.  
«More…» Regina whispered.  
Emma entered her, kissing her neck now.  
«Yes!» the woman under her shouted, pushing her body against hers.  
The princess' fingers moved quickly inside her, bringing her to the orgasm in a few minutes.  
Regina came yelling her name for the first time.  
Emma's face was painted in astonishment and happiness.  
The brunette panted, her heart racing.  
The two women stayed still, hugging each other, for some time, enjoying their bodies touching, naked and warm.  
Regina broke the silence.  
«When do you want to go to the castle?» she asked.  
«I don't know. I have to understand how to make Blue wear the bracelet, first.» Emma answered.  
«I'll take care of it. We can draw her out of the castle…»  
«How? She can fly…» the blonde objected.  
«We'll make sure that she won't fly too high.» the brunette grinned.  
«How?» Emma asked again.


	14. Chapter 13

Emma came running to the back of her parent's castle, pressing against the left side of her waist while she was running between the trees.  
«Blue!» she yelled.  
The fairy rushed to her aid, flying fast to her.  
«Princess… what happens?» she asked, worried.  
«Blue…» Emma fell to her knees and stretched her hand. «Help me, please!»  
The fairy got closer to her, trying to understand what was happening.  
«What happens?» she repeated, confused.  
«Regina…» the blonde explained, her hand still stretched towards her. «… she almost killed me…»  
«I knew it. We did warn you.» the woman commented with displeasure.  
«Blue, please…» Emma murmured, lowering her head, tired.  
The fairy, though, stopped mid-air. She became suspicious because of the lack of blood, and stepped back.  
A moment later from the woods came a girl totally identical to the princess.  
«Blue, get away from her! She's Regina! I'm the real Emma!» she shouted quickly approaching the two of them.  
Emma gave her "twin" a surprised gaze.  
«No! I'm Emma!» she replied.  
The fairy looked at both of them, deeply confused, unable to understand who was lying.  
After a few moments of bewilderment, though, she realized that one of them was holding something in her right hand. She recognized the bracelet she had used to take away the magic from Regina and so, sure that that one was Regina, she raised her wand and cast a spell on the other woman, the real Emma.  
But the real Emma screamed seeing the ray of magic strike the woman she loved.  
«No!» she shouted while, unconscoiusly, she vented her anger through magic, that hit the fairy before she could realize it and dazed her, throwing her to the ground. Emma then ran to Regina, calling her neame repeatedly. The woman didn't move, unconscious.  
Emma turned to face Blue, furious. She approached her, grabbed the wand and put the bracelete on her wrist. Then she slapped her face, waking her up.  
«What..?» the fairy muttered, confused, struggling to focus her.  
Emma grabbed her shoulders.  
«What did you do to her?!»  
Blue stared at her. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the Evil Queen laying on the ground.  
«It was supposed to hit you. You must stay away from her.» she coldly explained.  
«What did you do to her?» the blonde asked again, shaking her.  
«A memory spell.»  
Emma gave her a confused stare.  
«Well, undo it!»  
The fairy looked at her with disregard.  
«I can't.» she said. «It's permanent.»  
Emma clenched her jaw trying to hold back the anger. She gazed at Regina, still unconscious, then Blue again.  
«What does this spell do, exactly?»  
«It was made for you, it was supposed to bring you back to when you didn't know the Evil Queen… so that you couldn't remember anything about her.»  
«So what's gonna happen now?» the blonde asked, frowned.  
The fairy sighed.  
«I don't know. I think she'll forget about being the Evil Queen.»  
Emma glowered at her.  
«She'll forget herself…» she realized, rage in her eyes. She gazed down at the wand. «One last thing, Blue…» she looking back at her, her stare sharp as a blade. « Did my parents ask you to cast this spell on me?»  
The fairy stared back at her.  
«Yes. And, judging by your eyes, I see it was really necessary. I'm just sorry I hit the wrong person. Can't you see what that woman turned you into?»  
The slap hit her suddenly, unexpected.  
«Don't you dare, Blue!» the blonde exclaimed, furious, stepping then back. She gave a worried glance at Regina, then took a deep breath.  
«Rumplestiltskin!» she said out loud, watching then the fairy.  
«She's making you become like her, full of anger and hate!» she yelled at her. «You must go back being yourself!»  
Emma gave her a dark look.  
«I am myself.» she replied, turning then to face the black cloud appearing before her.  
Rumplestiltskin greeted her with a laughter.  
«You're efficient, dearie…» he commented, pleased, watching the wand with greedy eyes. Emma handed it to him.  
«As agreed…»  
«What are you doing?» the fairy shouted, shocked. «You can't give it to him! It's madness!»  
The Dark One took the wand laughing.  
«Excellent, dearie, excellent!» he exclaimed, satisfied. He then gazed at Blue, sneering. «Oh, come on, don't be mad.»  
The fairy stood up.  
«That wand doesn't belong to you!»  
Rumplestiltskin grinned again.  
«Now it does.» he said before disappearing.  
Blue turned to look at Emma.  
«You don't know what you've done…»  
The princess approached her. She stared into her eyes while she took off the bracelet of her wrist.  
«Now go.» she ordered. «Before I decide to kill you.»  
The fairy moved her face closer to Emma's.  
«There's nothing you can do. Come back to palace.»  
«Go!» the girl yelled. The other woman gazed down and obeyed, defeated.  
As the fairy was far enough, Emma ran to Regina. She tryed again to wake her up, uselessly. She then picked her up and walked away with her.

When Emma entered the castle, she was exhausted. She quicly went to Regina's chambers and leaned her gently on the bed. She was about to leave when she heard her moan. She immediately walked back to her and squatted beside the bed, caressing her hair.  
«Regina…» she softly said.  
The brunette abruptly moved away form her.  
«Who are you? Where am I?» she asked, frightened.  
Emma pulled back and showed her her hands.  
«Calm down, you're safe…» she replied, forcing herself to smile. «What do you remember?» she asked then, trying not to shake.  
Regina looked around.  
«Where am I? Where are my parents? This isn't my home…»  
Emma sighed and gazed down. She held back the tears and tryed with all herself to be strong. When she looked back at the brunette, she smirked.  
«You're inside my castle. I found you in the forest, unconscious, during a hunting trip.» she lied, staring at her eyes.  
«I… don't remember going in the forest… I was home…» the brunette replied, both confused and suspicious.  
«I don't know what to say, my lady, you were laying on the ground, unconscious… perhaps, you hit your head?» the other woman hazarded.  
«Maybe…» Regina agreed, watching her. Then she leapt up from the bed. «I want to go home now.»  
«As you wish. I'll have someone show you there, but… you must tell me where your home is.» Emma objected, staying crouched.  
Regina stopped in the middle of the room. She uselessly tried to remember.  
«I… don't know. Why can't I remember anything?» she asked with fear.  
Emma stood up.  
«Calm down. You're safe here, I swear…» she tried to reassure her talking in a low tone, calmly.  
«I don't know you… How do I know that you haven't kidnapped me and put a spell on me?» she said stepping away from her.  
Emma bursted into laughter, even if with a hint of hysteria in her voice.  
«Why should I?» She then decided to play it differently: she put her hands on her hips, pretending to be annoyed. «Do you at least know who I am?»  
Regina was still stepping back, until she found the wall behind her.  
«I… no, I don't.» she had to admit, a hint of fear in her eyes.  
The blonde arched her eyebrows.  
«My name's Emma. I'm the queen.»  
Regina goggled at her, then rushed to bow to her.  
«I'm sorry my Queen, I never meant to be disrespectful!»  
Emma could barely hide a smile. She faked casuaness and waved her hand in the air.  
«Stand up, there's no need… now. So, what's your name?»  
The brunette slightly lifted her face, but avoided her gaze.  
«Regina, Your Majesty.»  
The blonde smirked, unable to hold herself from doing it.  
«Call me Emma.» she said, a little too sweetly.  
Regina kept her gaze low.  
«No, Your Majesty, I'm not worth it…»  
This time Emma burst into laughter, she couldn't help it.  
«Well, I choose, don't you think? And I chose you are.»  
Regina gazed up at her hearing her laugh.  
«Alright, Your Majesty, as you wish.»  
Emma smiled at her.  
«I'll try to find your parents…» she lied. «…but I can't promise. It's a vast kingdom..»  
«I'm aware, my Queen.» The brunette shyly smiled at her. «Thank you, you're very kind.»  
Emma gazed down and shrugged, forgetting her role, for a moment.  
«A queen must serve her people.»  
«I don't want to bother you more…» Regina said walking towards the door. «You've been way too good with me.»  
Emma gave her a confused stare.  
«Where are you going?»  
«I don't know.» the woman sincerely answered. «But I can't bother you anymore.»  
«Stay!» the queen istinctively exclaimed, getting closer to her. «You… you have no place to go. And, you're not bothering me, I can assure you. One can feel quite lonely in such a large castle… I'd be pleased if you'd stay.»  
Regina pushed herself against the door when the woman approached her, intimidated.  
«I… thank you, Your Highness.» she replied, bowing.  
Emma immediately stopped walking seeing her fear.  
«You don't have to feel obligated to stay, though. You're free to do as you wish. Just know that you can stay, if you want.» she said in a quieter tone, a little sad.  
Regina sighed. She felt out of place there, so she wanted to go. At the same time, though, she had no place to go.  
«If you don't mind, I'd like to stay, until I remember something or you'll get tired of me.»  
Emma smiled, radiant.  
«You can stay as long as you wish.»  
«Thank you for your kindness.» the woman answered, a sweet smile on her lips.  
Emma kept smiling, gawking at her. She had never seen her that way, with that look, with that smile.  
Regina blushed noticing the queen's stare.  
«Did I do something wrong, Your Majesty?»  
Emma blinked and blushed.  
«No, no, forgive me. You can use this room. And feel free to explore the castle, please. I'll leave some guards to serve you.» she said, starting to leave.  
«But this is your room!» the brunette objected. «I can't use it.»  
«Oh, no, It's not mine.» the queen sincerely replied, smirking at her. «You can use it, don't worry.» she continued with a hand on the corner of the door, turned to look at her.  
Regina smiled at her.  
«Alright, Your Highness.» she said bowing again. «Thank you, then.»  
Emma smiled again at her before leaving the room. She quickly walked to another room, way smaller than that one. She sat on the bed and took her head in her hands.  
She suddenly bursted into tears. She lost everything she had so hardly built with her. The pain was devastating, but she couldn't give up. She was there, so different, so innocent. And yet, she was still her.  
Her Regina.


	15. Chapter 14

Regina was left alone in the chamber. She took a look around, feeling weird. Everything looked so familiar and unknown at the same time.  
She went to the window and stared at the large garden laying at the magnificent castle's feet. She stayed that way for a while, lost in her thoughts. She was trying with all herself to remember what had appened after that last, smoky memory of hers.  
Tired of thinking, she eventually stepped away from the window, exiting the room. The Queen had told her that she could go and explore the castle, so she did it. She smiled at the guard she met on her path that, without her to notice it, led her to the gardens. A large apple tree caught her gaze, and she sat under it, somehow reassured by the proximity with the tree.

Emma snapped her eyes open. She ran out of the room, reaching the first guard she met.  
«Thomas! Thomas, you must do a very important thing!» she exclaimed, out of breath. «Gather all the guards and deliver this order: if you see Regina, pretend like you don't know her.»  
The man stared at her, pure fear in his widened eyes.  
«But… Your Majesty, she'll punish us…»  
Emma laughed while she was catching her breath.  
«No, she won't, don't worry about that. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just do as I say.»  
The man hesitated, but he bowed eventually and ran to execute her order. The queen leaned against the wall, exhausted. She shut her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. If she tries to get Regina her memories back, Regina would suffer, again. But still, even if this could be the chance for her to be finally free from her past and happy, leaving her in this conditions, lie to her, depriving her of the truth was still unacceptable.  
She passed a hand through her hair. It got stuck inside the skein that it had become during the trip to the castle. She smelled her armpit, and winced. It's no wonder Regina didn't take her for a queen. She walked to the bathrooms.

Regina stretched towards a branch and picked a red apple from it. She couldn't hold herself and bit it; the sweet juice invaded her mouth. The vision of herself, dressed in a long, black dress struck her like a slap on her face. Her head started spinning, the apple fell from her hand. Then, suddenly as it became, it all stopped.  
«What the hell was that?» she whispered, scared and confused. She stood up leaning on the tree, still tipsy. She couldn't think of a single logical reason for what had just happened.  
Upset, she walked inside the castle looking for her room. During the trip she noticed the terrorized looks of the guards while she walked past them, and the confusion grew wider in her.  
She went slowly, like if she was held back by the oppressive feeling that she had to remember someting. She was about to reach her room when she met the queen in the corridor. She immediately bowed, without thinking about it.  
«Your Highness.» she hailed her.  
The blonde gave a start: distracted as she was by her thoughts, she was about to stumble on her.  
«Regina!» she exclaimed, smiling then a moment later. She looked around and read where she was coming from.  
«Did you visit the gardens?»

The woman looked at her with fear.  
«Yes, I hope you don't mind, my Queen…» she said «I saw the applet ree, and I couldn't help but picking one…»  
Emma hid a smile lowering her head.  
«Oh, I'm happy you did… I hope you liked it.»  
Regina smirked at her.  
«Yes, your apples are delicious.»  
The queen gave her a nervous laughter.  
«Y-yes..» she muttered sheepish, blushing, her mind elsewhere. She chose to change the topic. «Would you like me to get you something to eat?»  
«Oh, no, please, I don't want to disturb you anymore…» the brunette replied moving a strand of hair behind her ear. Emma watched her in disbelief as she was doing that simple movement. She had never seen her doing it.  
«Disturb? What are you talking about? Guards!» she called out, ordering then to prepare the meal. She noticed that Regina, as if she was embarassed by their stare, was moving closer to her. «Do they make you feel uncomfortable?» she asked her, astonished.  
«Yes.» the woman instinctively answered, then bit her tongue. «I mean, no… I'm sorry.» she murmured bowing her head.  
Emma leaned a hand on her shoulder, barely helding herself from touching her face.  
«They're here to protect you, and serve you.»  
Regina blushed at that touch. She slightly lifted her gaze, meeting hers. Her heartbeat sped up without her understanding why. She felt like that only with Daniel. She glanced away, embarassed.  
«May I ask you a question, Your Majesty?» she asked with a hint of voice. The queen just nodded.  
«Is it possible to have a bath?» she whispered.  
Emma suddenly smiled.  
«Yes, of course! That's what I was about to do!» she said, blushing then violently. «B-but there's obviously more than one tub, in different rooms, so…»  
Regina smiled at her with gratefulness.  
«Thank you, Your Highness, you're very kind to me.»  
Emma forced herself to smile again, awkard. She then moved her hand, an invitation to go.  
«Let's go, then.» she gently said.  
«Of course.»  
The queen led her to the bathrooms, commanding in the meantime another tub to be prepared.  
A few minutes later, arrived before the rooms, she pointed at the one on the right.  
«Please, go, it's ready.» she incited her slightly smiling. «You'll find clean clothes, and I'll have you brought immediately a new dress.»  
«Thank you so much.»  
Regina approached her She took her hand and shyly kissed it.  
Emma was completely floored by that. She flushed to the tip of her ears.  
The brunette abruptly distanced from her.  
«I'm sorry I embarassed you, I didn't know how to thank you…»  
«What? No, no! I'm fine, it's just that…» the blonde awkardly swallowed. «I didn't see that coming.» she eventually said, happy to have the occasion to say the truth.  
«Alright… I'm going, then.» the ther woman smirked, and entered the bathroom a moment later.

Emma stayed still just for a moment, staring at the closed door, before entering the free bathroom. She undressed, dropping the clothed on the floor, and got in the tub, blowing hard the air between her teeth because of the way too hot water. Idiot. They just put it there from a boiling cauldron, of course it's hot.  
When she was finally able to lean her back against the wooden wall, she closed her eyes. Regina was always there, she couldn't stop thinking about her, ever.

She soaped her body and hair, then she washed them and got out of the tub before that the water could get cold. She wrapped herself in a cloth, dampening her hair with another one, smaller. Suddenly she heard someone knock at her door.  
«Your Highness?»  
Emma paralyzed recognizing Regina's shy voice.  
«Yes?» she asked, without moving a muscle.  
«I know I'm bothering you and I beg your pardon for this, but… I have no other dresses to wear.»  
Emma smirked. She walked to the door and leaned her forehead against it.  
«Don't worry, a servanti s bringing you some, so that you can choose the one you like the most. She should be here in moments.»  
«Thank you so much. And forgive me, again.»  
Emma stayed against the door, the smile still there.  
«You mustn't thank me…» she said, quietly.  
«I must instead, you're going through all the trouble and you don't even know me.»  
Emma stared at the door as if she was right before her eyes. She leaned a hand on the wood. She didn't say anything else, because words were painfully stuck in her throat.  
She listened to Regina's steps fading away. She sighed and opened the door, quickly walking to her room though a shortcut Regina couldn't remember. She watched the dresses the servants had put on her bed, pleased. Those were her dresses. She had never used Regina's. She picked one, the most sober, of a dusty light-blue. She was about to wear it when a sad smile crossed her face. She shut her eyes, concentrating. The dress disappeared from the bed and reappeared on her. Finding it funny and somehow comforting, she did the same with the other ones.

Regina stayed still fro some moments despite the queen's silence, her head still leaned on the wooden door. She turned only when she heard the servant coming. She took the dresses and went back inside the bathroom.  
She wore the white ad cerulean dress. She fixed her hair, moving the locks falling on her face. She checked herself in the mirror, still a bit fogged by the bath's warmth. She then got ou and headed to her room.  
She entered what she thought was her chamber, stepping on the queen. She stayed still for a moment, to look at her. She was still doing her wet hair, adn she was already wearing a beautiful dark, intense green dress.  
«You Highness… I'm sorry, I thought this was the room you've given me… I'm sorry…» she repeated, terrorized.  
Emma turned and just stared at her. She shrugged smiling.  
«I used to get lost all the times at the beginning. It's normal. This castle is huge, there are hundreds of rooms. All with the same doors, moreover…»  
«Aren't you angry?» the brunette asked, unbelieving, raising her gaze on her.  
Emma hesitated, her stare lingering on Regina.  
«Of course not.»  
Regina blushed, as with every look from the queen. She saw the woman do the same, then lower her gaze. She stayed still watching her. She knew she should be going, but her legs wouldn't move. She bit her lip more than once, not knowing what to do or say. Then a servant appeared to announce that dinner was ready, and the queen looked back at her.  
«Shall we go?» she asked her, her voiche slightly hoarse.  
«Sure.» the brunette whispered, suddenly recovering from that sort of trance she fell in.  
Emma nodded. She walked next to her to go out of the room, so she touched her shoulder and made her shiver.  
«Follow me.» she quietly said without looking at her.  
Regina obeyed, and soon she found herself in the grand dining room. She saw the queen sigh, then she met her gaze.  
«Would it be good for you if we just break the etiquette and sit closer? Talk one to another with such a distance would be so excruciating…» the blonde said nodding towards the longest table in the middle of the room.  
Regina smiled at her, trying to control her voice so that the happiness she was feeling wouldn't filter from it.  
«Of course, Your Highness, as you wish.»  
Emma motioned to a servant so that he would move the dishes. As he's done, she moves a chair, motioning her to sit. Regina sat, smiling at her, amused by the absurd situation.


	16. Chapter 15

A week had passed since Regina lost her memory. Sometimes, in her eyes, Emma could catch a glimpse of a sparkle of who she had been, the one she missed so much. Not that it was unpleasing to be with her, not at all. Despite her "new version", or old one, was extraordinarily humble and shy, to a fault, so different to the Regina she knew, the feelings she felt for her never disappeared. Quite the opposite. With every smile, every bow, that felling grew stronger for how impossible she thought it was. Perhaps it was because now she could love different side of her, buried under years of hate.

She was thinking about this while she walked the long corridor, until she stopped before Regina's chamber. She tidied up her red dress, making sure that the blonde lock was where it had to be then, and so the small crown. She then knocked twice at the door, hoping that she was ready. 

It hadn't been easy for Regina to live in the castle. At first she had felt out of place and frightened by the whole situation, but the she had calmed down. The queen was more than kind with her. She liked to be there with her, and she secretly hoped she could stay longer, despite she missed her family so much.  
That day the queen asked her to dress nice because she had a surpise for her, and when Regina heard those words her heart started beating faster in her chest. She'd been the whole day in her room to find a proper dress for the night. She had changed four of five of them, and eventually she chose to wear a white dress, with pearls and diamonds. She did her hair in a complex and high coiffure.  
She checked herself in the mirror, to be sure she was ready. She heard two knocks at the door, her heart skipped a beat. Quivering she walked to the door and opened it.  
«Your Majesty…» she said drawn to the woman standing in front of her. She was wearing a red, large dress, that fit her perfectly. The hairdo made her face stand out in its beauty.  
When the door opened, Emma's breath stopped. Regina was gorgeous. White was perfect on her. She smiled at her, gently bowing her head.  
«Regina.» she greeted her, calm, unable to take her eyes off of her. «You look lovely.» she said looking in her eyes.  
Regina blushed and bowed.  
«Thank you, Your Highness. You're beautiful, too.» she whispered awkardly.  
Emma slightly blushed, then turned and offered her her arm, like if she was aknight and Regina a princess. She smiked for her own gesture.  
Regina mved a strand of hair and delicately wrapped her hands around her arm.  
«Come.» the queen smiled at her. The brunette smirked back at her while they walked towards the ball room. During the trip, though, an image flashe in her mind: she and the queen, in bed, naked…. She blushed and shook her head like if that motion coul erase those images and the sentiments they brought.  
«Is everything alright?» Emma asked looking at her with worry.  
«Y-yes…» she quickly answered, embarassed «So, where are you leading me, my Queen?»  
Emma kept staring at her, doubt in her eyes. She wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable insisting on it though, so she looked away.  
«Soon you'll know…» she replied sneering.  
«You shouldn't have done anything, you already did so much…»  
«I didn't actually do anything. And, please, don't feel like you owe me something. It's the last thing I want.» she replied as they were reaching the large room. It was decorated by the best tapestry, golden candelabras to illuminate them. The tables arranged along the walls were full of food, but above each of them a tray full of apple stood out. All the servants together with most of the guards were dressed in sumptuous clothes, and it looked like they were enjoying the feast. They hailed her with deep bows, then they went on chatting, relaxed.  
Emma eyed Regina, smiling.  
«I thought I would throw a little party. Without a reason, I know, but…» Emma nodded at them. «I don't know, I wanted them to enjoy the castle, for once. And you too. You must've been bored this days. There isn't much to do here…»  
Regina's face lit while she was watching the room.  
«It's beautiful, Your Highness…» she murmured turning to look at her with her eyes shining. «I don't know how to thank you, none ever did anything like this for me.»  
Then she approached the queen and gave her a shy, light kiss on her cheek, distancing a moment after.  
«I'm sorry if this was inappropriate…» she said in a hurry, gazing down.  
Emma blushed as she kissed her, but closed her eyes, a moment that was infinite and brief, but beautiful. She opened her eyes as Regina stepped back, smiling reassuringly at her. But she had glanced down. Emma put a hand under her chin, delicate, barely a touch, hoping it was enough to make her look at her again.  
«Not at all.»  
At the delicate touch of the blonde under her chin, Regina could do nothing but lift her face, showing wet eyes. Why did that touch feel so familiar, warm, sweet and sensual?  
They stayed still staring at each other for a while, then the queen smirked and gazed down. She pointed at the room with a wide gesture.  
«Enjoy the feast!» she encouraged her.  
Regina swallowed while nodding. She walked away from her to go to a table, under the blonde's curious stare.  
The brunette smiled at the servant that handed her a glass full of liquor. She did never drink. She moved the glass closer and as the cider touched her tongue she closed her eyes, enjoying it with pleasure. The taste felt so familiar while it slid down her throat. Another image flashed in her mind, like a fogged memory: herself in a cell, dressed in black, while Emma was locked inside it.  
She snapped her eyes open and stayed still, motionless. Those memories coudn't possibly be real.  
Emma smiled seeing her drink the cider, comforted by the idea that her taste didn't change. When she saw her freeze, though, she immediately ran to her.  
«Regina…» she softly said, touching her shoulder, the white fabric of the shoulder strap on it. The brunette shivered and distanced from her.  
«I'm sorry...» she immediately said. «I didn't mean…» her voice broke. «…I didn't mean to offend you…»  
The queen gave her a confused stare.  
«You didn't offend e at all, what are you talking about?»  
«I don't understand what's happening to me.» Regina finally confessed. «I…» she began, nervously torturing her hands. «…I've got these images in my head… I tried to chase them away but…» she sighed. «I can't.»  
«Which images?» the other woman asked instinctively approaching her.  
«They're confused.» Regina gathered her courage and looked in her eyes. «Of us. But we aren't us, I mean, we are, but those things never actually happened.»  
Emma stayed in silence for a moment. Then she grinned, her eyes full of tears. She caressed her face, unable to speak for how intense was the joy filling her heart, taking her breath away.  
The brunette blushed at that touch, so intimate.  
«My Queen…» she stuttered «… I don't think this is appropriate…»  
Emma imediately froze and pulled back her hand. Her face paled, and she glanced down.  
«I'm sorry.» she quickly said, without watching her, coldly. «I went too far.»  
Regina immediately regretted her words, buti t was too late. Pushed by her curiosity, she found the bravery.  
«Your Majesty, I think you're hiding me something.» she said.  
Emma stopped breathing and stared at her, unable to reply.  
«So it's true.» the brunette murmured, a hint of disappointment in her voice.  
Emma sighed and looked away.  
«It's true.» she confessed. «Many things. All linked, though. But, if I had to tell you the truth, you wouldn't believe me.» she explained, serious, staring back at her eyes.  
«You lied to me sisnce the beginning. I can't deny I don't like it, but you're the queen, and you owe me no explaination.»  
Regina walked away from her without giving her time to reply.  
Emma watched her go mouth-agape, surprised by her reaction. She closed her mouth and lowered her stare, that lingered on the detail of one of the floor's marble tiles for a moment. The time to take a decision. She looked back at her.  
«I'm not the queen!» she said out loud. Silence fell around her.  
Regina suddenly turned hearing her words. She looked at her in confusion.  
«I don't understand what you mean.» she said without hiding her annoyance.  
Emma, misteryously, smiled, and paced towards her.  
«Better, I'm not actually. You are.»  
«What is that supposed to mean?» the brunette asked her, more and more confused.  
Emma quietly sighed.  
«You've lost your memory. Many, many years of memories. You've been ruling these lands since a long time. This castle is yours. The apple tree, the room I gave you, this room… It's all yours.»  
Regina looked around, lost and afrais, her heart beating fast.  
«No, you're lying…» Words exited her mouth confusing. Her head was spinnig, images were running inside of it.  
Emma eyed her. She hated to see her that way. She wanted to help her somehow, but she didn't know how. She felt her eyes fill with tears.  
«It's the truth, Regina.» She went closer to her. She suddenly hugged her. «You lost your memory because of me. I'm so sorry…» she whispered in her ear.  
Regina quivered feeling the blonde's body pressed against hers. A weird heat invaded her. Her silky skin, warm, hot under her, her moans, her eyes full of lust. She looked at her.  
«The things I see are true?» she asked in an astonished whisper, without moving away from her, on the contrary leaning a hand on her back, without thinking about it.  
Emma stared at her, surprised that she didn't push her away. She slightly arched her back so that she could look her in the eyes, blinking to hold back the tears.  
«Yes…» she murmured.  
«We…» Regina stared at her. She could not end the sentence, too embarassed to do it. She couldn't remember what happened, but those images were clear and vivid in her mind.  
Emma blushed. She looked at those eyes, so dark, so warm. She leaned forward, staring now at her lips, so close…  
Regina unwittingly moved her face closer to hers. Her gaze moved from Emma's eyes to Emma's lips. Since a week she wandered how would it be to kiss them and every time she shooed that thought, feeling impure. And feeling guilty towards Daniel. But, if what Emma said was true, they'd already been together… and, even if nothing was clear, she wanted to know if that was the truth.  
The blonde closed her eyes and took the final step, touching Regina's lips with hers. She felt like if her heart started back beating only in that moment,, after a week of stillness.  
Regina's heart stopped as their lips met. Emma's were soft, wet, sweet.  
A light spawned from them. For a moment, fear grabbed Regina's heart, but she stayed clinged to Emma. When she couldn't breath anymore she distanced from her. She looked her in the eyes.  
«Emma…» she whispered smiling, her voice an octave lower than before.  
Emma stared at her, tears of happiness running down her cheeks freely now, a smile of hoping,  
unbelieving happiness on her face.  
«…Regina?» she asked, hesitant, terrorized by the idea that it was just an illusion, a simple misunderstanding.  
«Is that a way to address your queen?» the brunette answered smiling. «Shouldn't you be kneeling befor me?» she plowed on, trying to keep serious.  
Emma bursted into laughter weeping, and hugged her, kissing her.  
Regina held her, breathing in her scent.  
«Miss me, Princess?»  
The blonde nodded sinking her face between the woman's shoulder and neck, crying.  
Regina rubbed her back with a hand.  
«Calm down, I'm back…» she whispered to her.  
Emma squeezed her, trying to calm down. After a while her breath got even. She distanced from Regina, her gaze low as tears kept running all over her face.  
«I'm so sorry…» she whispered with broken voice.  
«It wasn't your fault.» the older woman reassured her. «You've had much patience, and you didn't take advantage of it.»  
Emma lifted her confused stare on her.  
«Why should I?»  
«You should have done anything to me…» Regina explained caressing her face.  
Emma goggled, shocked.  
«I would never!» she shouted.  
«I know.» the brunette smirked. «You're so different from me…»  
The girl shook her head.  
«I wouldn't say so…» she sneered. «…from what I saw…»  
The queen arched her left eyebrow.  
«And what did you see?» she asked, gaining back all of her cockiness.  
Emma's smile grew wide, then she shrugged.  
«What I've always seen in you.»  
«What you've always wanted to see even if it wasn't true.» the brunette corrected her.  
Emma laughed.  
«Yeah, sure…»  
There were some seconds of silence. Absolute silence. The looked around. The servants were disappeared. They shared an amused glance.  
«The party was a sweet idea.» Regina said smiling at her. «But now I must command you a thing.»  
«What?» Emma asked slightly narrowing her eyes, curious.  
Regina smiled again.  
«To dance with me.» she said. «It's a party, and I didn't dance yet.»  
Emma's smile enlighted the room.  
«It's the reason why I threw this party, so… of course, Your Majesty.» she answered, bowing then.  
«Good, Princess…» Regina made a step back. «Now invite me as you should.»  
Emma let out a brief laughter at her move, then she cleared her voice, trying to look seriuos.  
«Your Majesty…» she solemnly said, making an elegant curtsy and lending out her hand to her. «…will you do me the honor of this dance?»  
Regina pretended to think about it for a moment.  
«I'm allowing you to dance with me.» she eventually answered.  
Emma held back a smile and bowed her head to thank her. She held Regina's hand and delicately drawed her closer.

Their bodies came into contact as if it was the most natual thing in the world. They started moving in sync, following a music none was playing. Their gazes tangled, they lost themselves in them.  
«I love you…» Emma whispered a inch from her lips, without stopping to look he rin the eyes. Regina trembled at that sound. Her heartbeat got fasterm her eyes lit. But she said nothing.  
Emma glanced down, holding her close then. They kept dancing, hugged in the silence, for some minutes.  
«I love you since before we met.» Emma went on after a while, whispering the confession.  
Regina was amazed by her words. She distanced a bit from her, just a few inches, enough to be able to look her in the eyes.  
«What do you mean?» she asked.

Emma smiled with a hint of embarassment.  
«Since when my mother told me about you for the first time. That's when I started thinking about you, and I never stopped. Until I came here, risking my own life just to meet you.» she laughed blushing.  
«So your mother tells you the story of the Evil Queen, who wants to destroy everyone's happiness, and you fall in love…» Regina watched her, hiding a smirk. «You're crazier than I thought.»  
Emma laughed again.  
«She didn't tell me it like that! She told me everything… so I… you know… I saw things the way you did…» She glanced down awkardly. «You know… I didn't come here with the intent to kill you, despite I did tell my parents I wanted to…»  
«You came here with the purpose of crawling into my bed?!» the brunette inquired, astonished, lifing her face with the hand to make her look at her.  
«No! With the purpose of finding out if I was right!»  
«Right about what? That I'm not evil?»  
Emma nodded.  
«If we want to put it this way…»  
«And when I forced you to sleep with me? Didn't you hate me?» the queen asked staring at her.  
Emma slightly blushed, but stared back at her.  
«No… I knew I was "risking" that. Actually, I didn't think you'd spare my life, considering who I am…» she confessed lowering her voice.  
Regina smirked.  
«But I did.» She stayed silent for some seconds, watching her like if she was studying her. «You know, I never asked you a thing…»  
The blonde slightly tilted her head.  
«What?» she asked.  
«If it was your first time with me.»  
Emma blushed and suddenly gazed down.  
«No…» she said in low voice, eventually, sheepishly eying her.  
Regina stayed silent for a terrible moment.  
«How many?» she asked then in a whisper loaded with jealousy.  
«… Just one.» Emma answered, staying then in silence, waiting for a comment that never came.  
«Are you angry?» she asked her after a bit, tensed.  
Regina's eyes seemed to throw a black lightining.  
«Yes.» she answered sincerely.  
Emma swallowed, suddenly panicked.  
«Oh, I-I'm sorry, I… was young, I was only seventeen..»  
«You mustn't be sorry.» the brunette interrupted her. «I think I'm just… jealous.» she admitted.  
Emma froze. Then her face was enlighted by a smile.  
«Don't be so happy about it, Princess…» the queen warned her distancing from her. «You shall pay for that.» she plowed on, a lustful smile on her face.  
Emma smiled in turn, looking in her eyes.  
«Oh, I don't doubt it, Your Majesty…»


	17. Chapter 16

Breathing hard, the dragon soared between the thick clouds that besieged the sky that morning, almost mirroring her mood. A slight tilt of her tail and she was gliding, surpassing the compact blanket, her black scales dampened by the world's moisture. Her green eyes started to catch a glimpse of the black peaks of the queen's castle.  
She landed on the highest tower, climbing it then, finding a handhold with her mighty claws. As she arrived before the queen's chambers, she transformed into a woman, gracefully jumping on the wet balcony. The windown opened at her silent command. Maleficent went in, eyeing the black sheets, recognizing the curves behind them. Furtive, she went closer to the woman, silently closing the window with magic without waking her up. She crawled on the bed, careful to move it the less she could. She then rode Regina, started to delicately lick her neck.  
The brunette smiled in her sleep. With her eyes still closed, she passed her hands between the woman's hair, moaning in pleasure as the other one went lower, going on kissing her through her nightgown's black silk. She licked her breasts through the fabric. Regina moaned louder.  
«You don't waste any time…» she whispered with her voice drowsy keeping her eyes shut.

Maleficent held back a laughter. She kissed her belly and caressed her body. While she was kissing the woman under her she found herself thrown against the wall. She growled.  
The brunette's eyes snapped open as she heard the hustle and she froze.  
«Mal? What are you doing here?» she asked, looking the Emma with astonishment as she was holding Mal against the wall, chocking her. «Emma, calm down…» Regina didn't have the time to stand up that Maleficent threw the princess to the ground.  
«How dare you, kid?» the dragon growled, furious.  
«"Calm down"? She was… I'm gonna kill her!» Emma shouted standing up while a white luminosity was starting to spread from her hands.  
Regina cut in, stopping Maleficent's advance.  
«I thought it was you…» she tried to explain to Emma, looking in her eyes. «I didn't realize it was her, I was sleeping…»  
«Is that supposed to make me feel better?» the girl asked, beside herself with rage.  
Regina sighed.  
«I was sleeping, and you often wake me up that way, so I didn't even open my eyes. I was sure it was you.» she repeated, turning then to face Maleficent. «Many things have changed since you're gone…» she said with a hint of embarass.  
The witch glowered at her.  
«I noted.» she commented in a growl.  
«Oh, great! So for yoy it's the same if it's me or her!»  
Regina went back staring at Emma.  
«No! How could you even think…» she replied exasperated, rubbing her aching head. «I was just sleeping. I'm sorry.» She then turned again to look at Mal. «Mal… I imagine you're confused… I… don't know how to explain it..»  
Maleficent gave Emma a stare full of hate before eying Regina.  
«There's nothing to say, I got it all.» she said cooly, stepping back. «I made a mistake trusting you.»  
«What the hell are you saying? You know well you can trust me!» the brunette replied with anger. «I let them catch me for you, to allow you to join your daughter! I won't let you treat me this way.» she spat walking to her.  
«Catch?» Maleficent asked leaning forward. «Do you mean…?»  
«Yes, exactly, she let them capture her for you, you idiot! I wouldn't be so jealous if you meant nothing to her! Adn you have no idea of what… She suffered for you, so that you had a chance to be happy!» Emma suddenly yelled marching to the witch, until she was just a few inches away frm her face that however towered on her because of the size difference.  
Regina suddenly grabbed her hand to try to reassure her.  
«Emma, calm down…» she murmured looking at her with worry.  
The girl's words struck Maleficent. She stared at Regina, feeling terribly in debt with her. If she had been the Charmings' prisoner, she couldn't imagine how humiliated she had to be felt. And how much pain they did inflict on her, judging by the girl's face.  
Regina stared back at her without talking. She broke the silence only when Emma's voice filled the room.  
«Forgive me…» the young lady murmured gazing down.  
Regina lifted her face with a hand.  
«There's nothing I must forgive you. You protected me, as always.» she smiled at her caressing her face.  
Maleficent looked away, nauseated by that display of love. Regina saw that.  
«Emma…» she said squeezing her hand. «… could you give us a minute?»  
Emma looked in her eyes. She sighed, the nodded weakly.  
«Of course.» she said quietly. She kissed her. «I'll wait outside the room.» she added then, giving Maleficent a killer glance.  
«Thank you… it won't take long.» Regina said smirking at her, watching her exit the chamber and close the door behind her. She then focused all her attention on Maleficent. Her face was contorted by the astonishment, but she managed to hide it quickly, staring back at Regina.  
«I'm sorry…» she murmured. «I never wanted you to…»  
The brunette sighed.  
«It doesn't matter, you couldn't know it.» she said rubbing her arms to warm herself up a little. «I didn't think I'd see you again.» she continued, going closer to her.  
«I couldn't find Lilith…» the woman explained sadly.  
Regina approached her and leaned a hand on her shoulder.  
«I'm sorry… I thought that with the bean… What happened?» she inquired, worried.  
Maleficent shook her head staring at her with sadness.  
«The bean worked. I went to Wonderland, where the two idiots sent her. But she wasn't there. I looked for her everywhere, I burned every flower of that damn place, but… Lilith wasn't there. Then I met Cora.» Her eyes changed: there was hope in them, but also fear. Much fear. «She told me that Lilith is here, not there. That she looked for me, so much that she found out I was here. Cora told her. So I came back here thanks to the hatter…»  
Regina tensed hearing her mother's name.  
«I'm sorry… But, if she's still here, we can find her.» she said after a moment.  
«How?» the blonde asked, a veil of desperation to crack her voice. «She could be anywhere! And, if she was actually looking for me, how is it possible that she hasn't found me yet? Cora told me she went away years ago. What if something happened to her?»  
«Hey…» Regina cupped her face in her hands. «Relax, we'll find her.» She smiled at her. «I'm sure that she's fine and we'll find a way… I made you a promise.»  
Maleficent leaned against her, a tear sliding through her face.  
«Thank you…» she whispered.  
Regina wrapped her in her arms.

«I twill be fine, you'll see.»  
They stayed that way for a few minutes, in silence. Regina broke it.  
«Do you feel better?»  
Mal nodded, reclutantly distancing from her.  
«Yes, thank you.»  
«Good.» the queen smirked. «Do you want to talk about… Emma?»  
«Better if we don't. I got it, don't worry. I did before you did.» the other woman replied bitterly.

«Mal, I'm sorry! I never thought it could happen, believe me…»  
The dragin burst into a sad laughter.  
«None could believe such a thing, Regina, really!»  
Despite everything, her laughter was contagious for the queen.  
«Yeah, who knew…»  
Maeficent stopped laughing soon. She stared into Regina's eyes.  
«So… between us, it's over?» she asked.  
Even the brunette's laughter died. She stared at her not knowing what to say.  
«You could try to convince Emma…» she tried to joke.  
Maleficent forced herself to smile.  
«I've got the feeling that she doesn't really like me…»

«I think it's mutual?» the brunette smirked.  
Maleficent's smile grew wider, enough to show her teeth.  
«If it was up to me, she'd be dead, you know that.»  
«I know, and I think I should thank you for this.» Regina sincerley replied. «I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.»  
Mal clenched her jaw sighing.  
«I will never thank her.»  
«I know. I just wanted you to know that I'd be dead if she didn't save me.» the brunette repeated looking seriously at her. «Her parents… they did hurt me.»  
The dragin's fire seemed to flare inside Maleficent at those words. She gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing green.  
«They'll pay…» she growled.  
«No!» Regina immediately stopped her. «No more wars. It's over.»  
«I can't accept it, Regina, they must pay…»  
«I'm fine, now. Really.» Regina tried to reassure her, but Maleficent stepped back, frowning.  
«I don't know you anymore…» the witch murmured.  
«I know, neither do I!» the brunette laughed. «We should get out before that Emma freaks out.» she added looking at her with a bit of worry in her eyes. «Can you stay in the same room with her without that you two try to kill each other?» she asked then.  
«Hey, she assaulted me!» the blonde objected.  
«I know, but you were over me…»  
Mal smiled flirtatiously.  
«I don't remember hearing you complaining about it…» she said.  
«You're terrible…» the queen commented smiling. «I never complained, I never denied it was very pleasing to be with you…»  
Sadness came back on Maleficent's face.  
«But it won't happen again.»  
«I'm sorry.» the brunette replied sincerely. «You're very important to me. You'll always be.»  
Mal looked in her eyes.  
«Nota s much as she is…»  
Regina stared back at her.  
«I didn't plan it. You know what I used to think about it…» she replied.  
Mal nodded towards the door.  
«Open the door to your princess. Or next time she will kill me.»  
Regina let out a brief laughter.  
«Probably.» she smirked before opening the door. «Emma…» she said quietly.  
Emma immediately straighetened her back, distancing from the wall. She approached her, eying regina first, the Maleficent, ther Regina again.  
«Is everything fine?» she questioned.  
«Yes, everything's fine.» the brunette smiled at her. «The wall's still intact. Must be a good sign.» she mocked her then.  
Emma smirked and glanced down, embarassed.  
«Well, the wall would be a little too hard to break. It's not exactly like a chest.»  
«Yes, I remember…» the queen commented grabbing her hand. She stayed silent for a while, worrying the girl. «Maleficent will stay here for a while.» she eventually revealed with a hint of worry in her voice.  
Emma looked at Maleficent intensely, like if she was considering wether to kill her or simply punch her. She discarded both, eventually, and nodded as she exhaled slowly to keep calm. She eyed Regina.  
«Alright.» she just said.  
Maleficent let out a sigh of relief.  
Regina smiled.  
«Perfect!» she exclaimed coming closer to Emma. «Thank you.» she whispered then before kissing her cheek. The princess smiled at her. Regina then turned to watch Maleficent.  
«It's time to find out where is your daughter.»  
Emma frowned, confused, and looked at the blonde.  
«You really have a daughter?» she asked her.  
«Yes, but your parents took hera way years ago. To save you.» the woman explained without hiding the rage and the hate, decades old.  
Regina cut in leaning a hand on Maleficen't arm.  
«Emma has nothing to do with this, you know it well. She knows nothing about it.» she said. «Her parents did wrong, but we'll find her.»  
Emma alternated her gaze between the two of them, more confused than ever.  
«But… what are you talking about?»  
Maleficent stared at Regina, holding back the anger. She pointed at Emma.  
«Look at her. The portrait of a pure heart. And my daughter? Thrown into a portal with her darkness in her! What monster can do such a thing?»  
«I know, you're right and I'm not justifying them, but she's innocent.» Regina objected, looking at Emma then. «Before you were born, someone told your parents that you could become a hero like them or a villain like… us.» she explained pointing at herself and Maleficent. «Your parents were terrified and looked for a way to avoid it.» She paused, letting the woman before her realize what she was saying. «That's why they transfered your darkness in Maleficent's baby and then sent her to another realm.»  
Emma stepped back, mouth-agape, eyes wide-open. She was flabbergasted, and disgusted. She stared at Maleficent, starting to feel her same rage inside her heart. The hate towards her parents, that looked to be dropped in these happy days with Regina, came back violent to fill her soul.  
«And you're supposed to be the villains?» she briefly laughed, shaking her head. «Heroes… apparently, they've never been. I'd rather be like you than like them, no doubt. At least, you're sincere.»  
«You don't have to be like us nor them.» Regina looked at her worriedly, feeling her rage. «It's not your fault. You are you, you are good. Don't let anger take control over you.»

Mal clenched her jaw at Regina's words, looking away. Yet she listened with surprise the girl's words. Here's, finally, what Regina saw in her. Emma understood her.  
«I know it's not my fault.» the princess said, calming down a little. «But I don't think there are "heroes" and "villains". You and my parents are the proof, Regina. And my anger isn't taking control. I'm just realizing what kind of people my parents are.»  
«I'm not saying that they did the right thing, nothing could justify what they did, but one would do anything for their child.» the brunette replied, surprising herself.  
«They could let me choose! They had no right to do it! They didn't trust me. If they damaged only me, it wouldn't even be a problem, but they hurt an innocent child!» the young woman shouted. She then gazed at Maleficent. «And if I can help you find her, I most surely will. I will never make up for their mistakes, but I know a lot of people. If you know what she looks like…»  
The dragon nodded feeling the hope blossom in her heart.  
«She's brown hair, green eyes, so they told me. Tall, as I am.» she answered, her voice slightly trembling.  
«Good, it's a start. And, seen that you can be together without trying to kill each other, we can begin to search.» Regina commented without noticing that Emma had frozen at Maleficent's words. The princess approached the witch.  
«Does… doeas she have a birthmark on her wrist?» she asked hesitantly.  
Mal opened wide her eyes and grabbed Emma's right arm.  
«Yes! Yes, with the shape of a star!» she almost shouted.  
Regina looked at her, surprised.  
«Do you know her?» she inquired.  
Emma stepped back, forcing Maleficent to let her go. She was gazing down, her mouth opened. She looked at Regina, finally closing her mouth. She nodded.  
«I think…» she said with a hint of voice, staring at Maleficent then. «Her name is Lilith, right?»


	18. Chapter 17

_«Do you know her?» she inquired.  
Emma stepped back, forcing Maleficent to let her go. She was gazing down, her mouth opened. She looked at Regina, finally closing her mouth. She nodded.  
«I think…» she said with a hint of voice, staring at Maleficent then. «Her name is Lilith, right?»_  
Maleficent smiled, tears rushing over her face.  
«Yes! Where is she? Is she fine?» she rapidly asked approaching the princess.  
Emma nodded, but she semmed to hesitate.  
«She's fine, but…»  
«But what?»  
Emma stepped back, daunted. She lifted her hands, her palms turned towars the blonde.  
«She's fine, really.» she repeated «It's just that… she's in my parent's castle. She works there. As a guard.» she said in one breath.  
Maleficent froze.  
«Go on.» Regina suddenly commanded looking into Emma's eyes. The princess' breath became faster.  
«Do you remember the girl I talked you about?» she asked in a whisper.  
The queen's eyes filled with anger and jealousy.  
«No, it can't be…» she murmured.  
Emma approached her eying her with worry.  
«Regina, I had no idea of who she was! I'm sorry, I would have never… It's over, anyway…»  
«What the hell are you talking about?» Maleficent cut in, confused.  
«She'll tell you.» Regina spat before disappearing in a purple cloud.  
«Regina!» Emma exclaimed, too late. She then sighed, turning to look at Maleficent.  
«Your daughter and I had an affair, years ago. Nothing serious, in fact we broke quietly, and we're friends now.» she explained, exhausted.  
Maleficent pierced her with her stare.  
«You banged my daughter?!»  
«Oh, shit, you too?» the girl suddenly shouted «I was seventeen!»  
The two women shared a long look. Eventually, the witch sighed and waved a hand in the air.  
«Whatever, what matteri s that she's fine…» she said.  
«She's more than fine. Regina, on the contrary, I don't know…» Emma replied exiting the room a moment later. She walked to the place she knew was Regina's refuge. While she was walking through the long corridors of the castle the walls started to tremble. The princess leaned against one of the columns, unsteady on the rocking floor. The earthquake lasted just a few moments. There was nothing natural about it, Emma could feel it clearly. As she was sure enough that she wouldn't stumble, she ran towards the gardens as fast as she could. Regina was standing beside the great apple tree that stood out in the middle of the garden. She was furious, shocked. She was turned, but her posture told her everything.  
«Don't come any closer!» she commanded, without turning. «Go away. I don't want to see you.»  
Emma stopped.  
«Regina, what's wrong? You knew about Lilith…»  
The woman clenched her fists hearing that name.  
«Yes, but I didn't know about your bond…» she replied through her teeth, trying to control her voice «Leave me alone.»  
«Bond?» the blonde asked in confusion. She made a step towars her without thinking about it. «She's nothing to me, Regina!»  
«Don't come closer.» the other woman ordered again. «Go back to your parent's castle and bring here that girl, Maleficent's been way too long away from her daughter.»  
Emma stopped again. She sighed.  
«I'll do as you wish, as always. But remember that I love you, not her. I always will.» she quietly said, watching her.  
«Stop lying!» Regina cried, full of rage, turning to look at her. «After you bring her here, I don't want to see you ever again!»  
Emma's heart stopped. Her eyes filled with tears while she crumbled under the burden of the queen's cold stare.  
«But, Regina, why…? What have I done?»  
«It was a game, didn't you get it? I neve cared about you.» the brunette harshly answered.  
Emma stayed silent for a moment.  
«No.» she said then, calm. «You're lying.»  
«You think you know everything, Princess? Do you really think I slept only with you since you're here?» Regina asked staring at her, a devilish smile on her face. «Do you have an idea of how many guards slept in my bed?»  
The princess was floored for a moment, then she recovered. She smiled.  
«None.» she answered walking to her.  
Regina pushed her away with magic, but Emma stood up in a moment and walked back towards her while she talked.  
«If you like to believe it…» the brunette laughed evilly «You're deluded, you were just an instrument for my pleasure and now I don't need you anymore.»  
«Stop it, Regina! I _truly_ love you!» the blonde exclaimed.  
«I don't.» Regina eyed her with contempt. «Now Maleficent's back, you're useless. She knows how to please me much better than you… you know it. You heard us.»  
Something hurt her in those words. Emma stopped walking. She looked in her eyes, staying in silence for a couple of minutes.  
«I'll make sure Lilith to come here safe and sound.» she just said before turning and leaving.  
«I don't doubt about it.» Regina growled with rage, watching her walk away. As the princess was out of her sight, she let the tears she had so hardly held back flow over her face.  
A few moments later, she heard a light sound behind her, something just a bit louder than a swish. She dired her tears and turned.  
«I don't want to hear a word. You're going to re-embrace your daughter soon.» she said giving Maleficent a gloomy stare. The woman approached her, anger to enlight her gaze.  
«Do you know what you just did?» she asked her.  
«Yes, I'm about to make you reunite with your daughter. You should be thanking me.»  
«That girl truly loves you, Regina! Sending her away this way… Did you think about the consequences?»  
Regina gave her a challenging look.  
«I don't love her, what consequences should I worry about?»  
The witch burst into laughter.  
«You're an idiot, Regina! You do love her, or we wouldn't be here talking about it! That moron will get herself killed now!»  
«She won't. She'll bring your daughter here and then she'll finally go home. And I'm telling you again, I don't love her.» She calmed down on her last words. «You should know me.»  
Maleficent sighed, exasperated.  
«Did you listen to her at least? She said she'll make sure that Lilith will come here, safe and sound. She never said she'll bring her here. Do you know what that means?»  
«I don't care, it's not my problem.» the queen replied, but she was uncertain now. She bit her lower lip.  
The blonde rolled her eyes sighing. She approeached her then , laying a hand on her shoulder.  
«Regina, that girl is going to turn herself in. What she did with you is high treason. George will get her executed, and Snow and James won't be able to stop him.»  
«The two idiots will save her, they won't let their precious daughter to be executed. They'll say she was under a spell.» Regina objected, more and more uncertain.  
«You know that George is an old crazy man with a lot of money, and a lot of supporters. One of them is Stephan. Snow and James can't afford to put in danger an entire population, not even they qwould be capable of such a thing. They will sacrifice their daughter. They already sent her here to die, what makes you think they won't do it again?»  
«I won't let her die.» the brunette replied without thinking. «I mean, not that I care, but those those idiots must suffer. Anyway, Emma will come back with your daughter, I'm sure about it.»  
Maleficent cupped her face between her hands.  
«Emma won't come back, Regina. She has no reason to do it. You took that reason from her, a few minutes ago. But we're still in time. A dragon's much faster than a horse…» she smirked.  
«Emma's not my business. She'll come back with your daughter, they're linked since they were born…» the brunette whispered.  
«Oh, that's what bothers you… Well, if you don't care, why should I… I'm just sorry I couldn't kill her myself. I would have loved to see the idiot's faces while I was dismembering her…»  
Regina clenched her fists trying to hold back her anger.  
«I know what you're doing, but it won't work. That girl doesn't love me, she's young and naive. And you can't kill her, your daughter would hate you. She could even become your daughter-in-law…» she said, hurting ehrself more than Maleficent. She laughed at her words.  
«If she really has True Love's darkness inside her, she would enjoy the show more than hating me!»  
«Even villains can love, you should know it…»  
The blonde gave her a meaningful stare, an eyebrow slightly arched.  
«Oh, I know it well…» she replied.  
Regina smiled and went closer to her.  
«We could do something much more interesting while we wait…» she murmured, caressing her face.  
The witch grinned.  
«It's fine to me. But I want her skin, when George kills her. So that I can use it as parchment, and send letters to the idiots for years.»  
Regina stepped away, furious.  
«Stop talking about her! She's not dying!»  
Maleficent looked her in the eyes.  
«You know she will. Denying it won't save her.»  
The brunette snorted.  
«What am I to do? Save her?»  
The other woman shrugged.  
«You must choose! Do you want to lose your love once again, or stay with her for the rest of your life?»  
«She's not my love.» Regina went so close to her that their noses almost touched. «I loved just one person and he died years ago. None will take his place.» she growled.  
Mal stayed still, staring back at her.  
«Nonetheless, I've never seen you act this way, in all these years..»  
«Stop it.» Regina said harshly, turning her back to her to avoid her look. «Bring me to that stupid girl. She saved my life, I owe her, but this doesn't change anything. I don't care about her.» she eventually said.  
Maleficent smirked. A moment later, her body was the one of a dragon.  
Regina climbed her.  
«Then we'll be even and I won't owe her anything else.» she gloomily said.  
The dragon emitted a puff of smoke from her nostrils, then she left the ground.


	19. Chapter 18

Emma jumped on the first horse she found and spurred it, tears rushing all over her face. Her ride, though, didn't last for long. Soon she saw the unmistakable shadow of a dragon darken the terrain under her, and the horse got nervous, slowed down and neighed. Emma calmed it down, made it stop and jumped down on the ground, then she tied it to a tree. Her heart was hammering fast. She walked between the trees until she reached the large clearing where the dragon had landed. She stopped, staying away from the reptile and the woman standing next to her.  
«Did you steal the slowest horse from my stable?» the queen asked loudly.  
Emma stared at her. She couldn't help but smile at her. She hoped that the tears weren't visible at that distance.  
«I took the first I found.» she replied.  
Regina hid a smile at her answer.  
«Good, I can tell you're still the same idiot. Now let's talk about how do you mean to make Maleficent's daughter run from your parents' castle.»  
Emma shrugged.  
«Her shift is always the same, every day at dawn. I go to her rampart, tell her her mother wants to meet her and she's coming with me. Easy.»  
The dragin let out a blurt of smoke from her nostrils. Regina turned to look at her.  
«See? You're guessings were wrong.»  
«… To the border.» the girl continued, though. «… where a friend of mine, which I'll warn as I get there, will pick her up and bring her to your castle. About that, don't eat him, Maleficent. He's a good man, even if he tells a lot of lies.»  
«Why don't you bring her to my castle yourself?» the brunette asked, trying to keep a detached tone. Emma gave her a tiny smile, sad. She gazed at the dragon, then at her.  
«I don't want to make the travel twice, and I don't want to lead the soldiers to you.»  
The queen frowned.  
«I guess you want some time with your friend, so you should escort her, so that you can go to Maleficent's castle together.» she replied.  
Emma smirked again.  
«I'm saying goodbye to her, forever. Then she'll do what she wants.» she explained, calm.  
Regina stepped towards her.  
«What are you going to do?»  
«I…» Emma lost her courage. She smirked once again, holding back the tears. «Why do you care?» she asked, her voice slightly trembling.  
Regina opened then closed her mouth, not knowing what to say.  
«I'm.. curious..» she answered eventually.  
The blonde bit her lip, then nodded and lowered her gaze.  
«I see.» she just said.  
«Will you answer?» the queen suddenly shouted out of patience.  
Emma looked into her eyes. She wasn't smiling anymore.  
«There's nothing left I can do here…» she murmured.  
«Will you go back living at your parents' castle?» Regina asked, her voice more stained with hope than she was willing to admit.  
Emma stifled a laughter shaking her head.  
«No. Never.» she answered.  
«Will you roam in the woods? Like a bandit?»  
Emma stared at her. Here yes watered.  
«Maybe my soul. I like to think that something of me will stay…» she said in a whisper.  
«Are you getting yourself killed?» Regina made another step towards her.  
A tear escaped the princess' control.  
«It's the traitors' fate. You can't preach justice if you don't practice it yourself.»  
«You could say you were under a spell, that you weren't able to act on your own will… they'lle believe you…»  
Emma gave her a snort.  
«Why should I?» she asked with a hint of voice looking at her like if that was her last chance to do it.  
«Because it's not fair you to die… you're the heir to the throne, your people needs you…» the brunette answered after a moment of hesitation.  
Emma gave her a vague smile, then shook her head.  
«Goodbye, Regina.» she said before turning her back to her, barely holding back the tears.  
Regina paced towards her, then she stopped. She turned to look at Maleficent, confused. The dragon growled and let out a small burst of flame towards her.  
«You stop her!» Regina shouted. «She never listened to me.»  
Maleficent shook her enormous head and blurted another flame, larger, towards Regina, to make her step away from her and force her to follow Emma.  
Regina moved aside to avoid the fire, and glowered at her. She reached the princess in a moment.  
«Wait.» she commanded.  
Emma stopped, still giving her back to her. The horse was just a few steps away.  
The brunette sighed.  
«I don't want you to die.» she admitted looking at her tensed shoulders.  
Emma tensed even more at those words, but she stayed silent, still. She couldn't speak. She kept weeping in silence.  
Regna stared at her with wet eyes.  
«Don't get yourself killed.» she repeated.  
The blonde took a deep breath trying to calm herself enough to be able to speak at least.  
«There's nothing else I can do…» she said, her voice broken, almost a whisper.  
«Why? You have a choice!» Regina exclaimed getting closer to her. «Tell everyone you were under a spell!»  
Emma shook her head, then she crumpled. She started to sob and covered her face with her hands, but her posture didn't change. Regina immediately approached her and hugged her.  
«Don't die.» she whispered in her ear.  
Emma's legs collapsed. Regina held her, and she went on crying desperately.  
«Emma, you must live.»  
She shook her head again, crying.  
«It's an order.» the brunette said eventually, trying to keep her voice firm.  
Emma could do nothing but increase the intensity of her cry.  
«Don't cry…» the brunette murmured caressing her face.  
«Please…» Emma whuspered weakly trying to step away from her.  
Regina gave her a confused stare.  
«Please what?»  
«Don't do this to me…» she said between the sobs clinging on to her. «Don't deceive me…»  
«I don't want to… I don't want you back with me.» the queen lied. «But I don't want you to die.»  
Emma looked at her between the tears, calming down a little.  
«You can't desire this for me…» she whispered.  
«Why not?» Regina stared back at her. «Do you think I want you dead?»  
Emma shook her head.  
«No. Bu I'd rather be it.»  
«Why? You're young, you could have hundreds of lovers..»  
Emma laughed weeping.  
«I can't suffer like this, Regina. If you want me to live, rip out my heart at least. Otherwise I can't stand it…»  
The brunette took her face in her hands.  
«You're bound to that girl… You will always be… Be with her.» she said, forcing herself to keep calm.  
The princess laughed again.  
«You're my True Love, Regina. Even if I'm not yourse. I can't stand to loose you, I'm sorry.» she replied with a hint of voice.  
Regina looked in her eyes holding back the tears.  
«You think I am. But what happened with Lilith opened my eyes. Because of your parents you're linked, you'll always be.»  
At those words, Emma lost any hope. She glanced down, slouching.  
«Let me go, regina. Forget me.» she said with dead voice, not looking at her anymore.  
«You love that girl, stay with her. Your fate is bound to hers.» the brunette repeated.  
Emma walked away from her in silence, looking down. She slowly reached the horse and untied it.  
«Emma, please, listen to me for once! Your lives are connected, even if you don't want to admit it…. Something pushes you together…» the queen said between the tears.  
Emma climbed the horse and spurred it. She surpassed her gallopping, without looking at her.  
Regina felt her rage invade her. It rushed in a blurt of magic that froze the horse mid-air. Emma didn't fall only thanks to her spell.  
«Don't you dare disrespect me this way!» she snarled approaching her. Emma was staring at nothing, silent.  
«I didn't give you permission to go away.» Regina plowed on.  
Emma didn't answer. She was staring an indefinite spot in the forest with an exausted ezpression on her face.  
«What do you want from me?» the brunette asked with rage. «Do you want to destroy me after your parents already did?»  
Emma turned to look at her in confusion.  
«I want nothing from you…» she replied with the bit of voice she had left.  
«You're connected to her, it's inevitable, no matter how hard you deny it. One day you're telling me you love her and I'm not waiting for that day to come.» the queen angrily hissed.  
Emma kept staring at her.  
«That day'll never come, Regina. I'm dying tomorrow at dawn.»  
«I can't let you do this. I'm going to the castle, you're staying here.»  
Emma suddenly recovered from her state of apathy.  
«You can't! They'll kill you!» she shouted jumping down from the horse.  
«You can't tell me what to do!» Regina gave her a glance before walking away. «I'm bringing that girl here and then I'm going away. I never want to deal with you again.»  
Emma followed her.  
«The hell I can't! Maleficent!» she shouted calling for the dragon.  
She turned towards her seeing her come. Regina looked at her with contempt.  
«What do you think you're doing?»  
Emma ignored her and talked to the dragon.  
«Maleficent, you must stop her! She wants to go to the castle to bring Lily here! She'll get herself killed!»  
Maleficent glanced at Regina and shook her head.  
«And she wants to get herself killed!» Regina objected goggling, exapserated. «I'll get you your daughter.» she promised her then, serious.  
«Lilith will never listen to her! And if she'll force her to come here, she'll never trust you!» the blonde replied looking in the dragon's eyes. «I know her.»  
«Oh I don't doubt it, you know her intimately…» the brunette commented with jealousy.  
The dragin gazed at Regina. Then she rose on her feet, took Emma in her claws and flew away.  
«Great!» Regina snorted. «Thanks for trusting me!» she shouted watching them go away, feeling betrayed by the both of them.

Maleficent let Emma go not far from the castle, then she turned into a woman before her.  
«Bring me back my daughter, and come back, too.»  
Emma looked at her in confusion.  
«Why? She wants you, not me..»  
The witch glared at her.  
«You're evidently their daughter… Because she loves you, you idiot! She doesn't love me!» she said before disappearing.  
She materialized inside Regina's room.  
«I fixed everything, as always.» she announced glancing at the room while she talked. Everything inside it, walls inluded, had become black. «I like it…» she commented.  
Regina gave her a furious glare.  
«Get out!» she snarled.  
The dragon arched her eyebrows.  
«"Thank you, Mal, for saving Emma's life." "Don't mention it, Regina, I owed you by the way…"»  
Regina looked at her with a strange light in her eyes.  
«I don't want to see any of you ever again. Never! Now fly away from my castle before I get really angry.» she threatened.  
Mal looked at her narrowing her eyes.  
«Are you serious?» she asked.  
Regina summoned a fireball in her hand.  
«Is it enough as an answer?»  
The blonde lifed her chin and took in a breath.  
«Fine. But don't summon me when you're feeling alone.» she growled before vanishing.  
«I most surely won't!» Regina yelled while she was disappearing. «I don't need anynone…» she whispered then.


	20. Chapter 19

The sun had made its appearance just a few moments before, starting so her watch. Her useless watch. Nothing ever happened, none would attach that castle. That's why she gave a start when she heard a sound behind her. Lily turned abruptly, making the armor clank. Someone did whisper her name, but there was none on the walkway.  
«Who's there?» she asked, hand on the sword.  
A head leapt out from behind a wall.  
«Lily! It's me, Emma!» the princess whispered without moving from her hiding place. «Are we alone?»  
«Emma!» the guard smiled, astonished, walking to her. «What are you doing here?»  
The two women hugged.  
Emma looked her in the eyes.  
«How are you? I haven't seen you since forever…»  
«I missed you so much…» the other one replied hugging her tight.  
«I missed you too..»  
«What are you doing here?» the guard repeated, smiling at her.  
Emma put her hands on her shoulders and gave her a serious stare.  
«Lily, you must come with me.»  
«I can't, Emma… And again, where should I come?»  
The blonde smirked at her.  
«I met your mother! She wants to meet you, she looked for you all these years long… Now I know everything, Lily. I know what my parents did, I know that you have my darkness inside you because of the,… Let me bring you back to your mother. She cares so much about oy, she suffered through all these years…»  
Lilith goggled at her.  
«My mother? Darkness? What are you talking about?» she asked, confused.  
Emma frowned.  
«Don't you know?» she asked, astonished.  
«What should I know?»  
Emma sighed before taking her hand.  
«I'll tell you everything, but now we must go! Trust me!»  
«I can't leave my watch..»  
«Of course you can! A queen is commanding you to do it!» the blonde quietly laughed, dragging her towards the stairs. Her friend hesitated a moment more.  
«Alright.» she capitulated at last.  
Emma smiled at her, then she lead her through the secret passage she used to enter the castle. She got out of it easily, the they walked inside the forest, hidden from the guards' gaze.  
«How did you come here, Lily?» the blonde asked her while walking.  
«I was in Wonderland… I wanted to find my mother at any cost, so one day I met a man who said he couuld bring me here to look for her.»  
Emma nodded.  
«Good. That man was right. Do you know who your mom is?»  
Lily turned to look at her.  
«No, I don't.» she answered.  
«Better. No biases.» the blonde said in low voice, walking. She turned to look at her.  
«Maybe it's better if you take off some parts of your armor. It's a long trip to the castle…» she suggested.  
Her friend smirked at her and took her advice.  
«Tell me who's my mother.» she said while she untied the laces of her armor.  
Emma stared at her.  
«Alright, but promise me you'll keep your shit together. She's not that bad, after all.»  
Lily frowned.  
«You're making me anxious…»  
Emma gave her a tened smirk.  
«Well, she's… Maleficent.» she said while grabbing the armour parts and hiding them under a bush, avoiding her shocked stare.  
«What?!» she almost screamed. «Maleficent? The dragon?»  
«Keep it dooown!» Emma whispered waving her hands in the air. «Do you want them to catch us? We're still close!»  
Lilith composed herself and lowered her voice.  
«Sorry, but.. shit! Maleficent…»  
«Don't worry! My parents are worst…»  
Lily smiled at her, a bit calmer now.  
«Let's go.»  
«About them, did they tell you anything?» Emma asked as they started waling again.  
«About what?»  
«About me… About why I ran away…»  
«I've heard that the Evil Queen kidnapped you…» Lilith said, full of anger, her fists clenched.  
Emma let out a nervous laughter.  
«Yeah, no, no, that's not true! I mean, it was, at the beginning, but then… It's a bit complicated, you see, but the thing is, I can't live without her.»  
The girl narrowed her eyes, and clenched more her fists.  
«She put a spell on you.» she said getting closer ot Emma.  
«No, nota t all!» the princess smiled «However, she doesn't want to see me anymore, so…»  
The guard grabbed her hand and stopped her.  
«Yes, there's no other explanation…» she murmures looking in her eyes.  
«Lily, what are you talking about?»  
Lilith didn't answer. She went closer to her and kissed her.  
Their lips barely touched before that Emma jumped back.  
«Lilith!» she shouted, surprised.  
The brunette gave her a desperate stare.  
«Emma, we were so good together… we could start over…»  
The princess stepped back.  
«Lily, I thought it was over five years ago… I thought you were fine, we never talked about it…»  
«I am fine… but I missed you so much… It was so good when we were together, it could be a fresh start for us…»  
«Lilith, I don't… Yes, we were fine together, but… I love Regina…» Emma replied, embarassed. «I missed you, but… We've been friends for so long, I didn't think you…»  
«You can't love thata monster!» Lily shouted, furious.  
«She's not a monster, Lily! The true monsters are those you were protecting!»  
We will never be together again, isn't it?» Lily suddenly asked her.  
Emma stared at her, more confused than ever. She approached her and put her hand on her arm.  
«Lily…»she began, hesitating. «.. are you in love with me?» she asked eventually, terrorized by the anwer.  
The other woman gazed down.  
«Since forever….» she murmured. «I thought you knew…»  
«I… Lily, I'm so sorry, I thought we were fine when we broke…» the blonde stuttered, feeling an idiot.  
«I didn't want to loose you…»  
«I'm so sorry…» Emma murmured leaning against a tree. She closed her eyes sighing.  
«It's fine..» Lily sighed. «Shall we go?»  
Emma opened her eyes. She felt mortified. She looked back at the Castle between the trees, seriously thinking about going back and let them hung her, once and for all. She sighed again looking then at Lilith.  
«Come, I'll explain you everything.» she said making a step forward, making sure that Lily would follow her.  
«You see, I'm the fruit of True Love, so when I was born I had equal possibilties to give into the darkness inside me, or let the light guide me. Those morons of my parents, to avoid the risk that I'd choose darkness over light, gave it to you and sent you to Wonderland. Your mom's looking for yu since that day. That's the reason of the war.»  
Lily froze at those words.  
«Your parents… I was protecting them and they separated me from my mother!» she growled, furious «And I thought she didn't love me!»  
Emma turned to watch her while walking.  
«Your mother loves you, Lily, I can assure you. She discovered just today that you were there.»  
Lily smile depsite the pain. Her mother did love her. She couldn't wait ot meet her.  
She followed Emma, walking faster.

They reached the castle before dusk, exhausted. Despithe this Emma was smiling as she kept walking towards it.  
Suddenly she found herself thrown against a tree. She fell on the ground after she hit hard her back against the bark.


	21. Chapter 20

«Are you alright? What happened?»  
Emma stood up with Lily's help and rubbed her aching back.  
«I don't know… Magic, I guess.» she replied. She cautiously walked to the point from where she had been thrown away. She touched the air with a hand, until she met a dangerous blast of power. She pulled back her hand.  
«Shit…»  
«What happens?» her friend repeated.  
Emma sighed and turned to look at her.  
«There's a wall. We can't go in, and Regina's too far: even if I screamed, I doubt she'd hear me.»  
«So what do we do now? Where's my mother?»  
«Right! Your mother!» Emma exclaimed sneering «You're a genius, Lily! Maleficent!» she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
Mal heard Emma's voice calling her, far away. The dragon was already flying, looking for preys. She turned, flapping her enormous wings in the wind, and she reached the princess in a few minutes. There was another girl with her, adn a barriera round Regina's castle. And there was no room for landing. She swooped down on them, turning into her human form just a moment before touching the ground. She layed her feet on the ground almost without a sound.  
The girl was staring at her mouth-agape.  
Emma smiled at her.  
«It's her.» she only said before stepping back.  
Maleficent gazed back at the girl. She approached her smiling.  
«Lilith…» she said with trembling voice, her eyes full of tears. «… is that you?»  
Lily stared at her mother, she barely smirked. She made a step forward.  
«Mom?» she asked, shivering.  
Without hesitating anymore the dragon hugged her daugther, letting her tears free to rush down her cheeks.  
«Oh, Lilith… I looked for you for so long…»  
The girl let her hug her and, after an initial confusion, she hugged her back.  
«I was looking for you, too..» she was aventually able to say.  
«I know, my dear, I know…» Mal hugged her tightier. «I came back from Wonderland, where I found out you were here…»  
«And I came here because I knew you were here!» the younger woman exclaimed-  
Maleficent laughed, the tears still falling from her light-blue eyes. She distanced from her to look at hr. She caressed her face.  
«You're an adult…»  
Lily laughed together with her.  
«I know…» she replied drying her tears.  
«We have to make up for lost time…» Maleficent turned to look at Emma, or so she thought, to thank her. But the girl was there no more.

Emma watched the two of them with a smile on her face. She then silently stepped back, leaving them alone. She went around the wall to give the two women the time and space they needed. She approached the wall of magic, oerceiving its vibrations on her skin.  
«Regina…» she murmured. She gazed at the castle with sadness in her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, somewhere in the castle. She could feel her magic through the barrier. She missed her terribly.  
«Emma…»  
The princess turned abruptly, interrupting the contact with the barrier. She slightly blushed at Lily's stare.  
«Why did she create the wall?» she asked to Maleficent with a sad look on her face.  
The witch looked the girl in the eyes.  
«She wants to stay alone. She doesn't accept my presence either…» she explained with bitterness.  
Lily looked at her mother.  
«Are you friends?» she asked, surprised.  
Mal looked with embarass at her daughter.  
«More or less…» she answered in a whisper.  
Emma nodded and glanced at the castle.  
«I'm sorry….» she said, lowering her gaze. « I didn't mean to involve you into this.»  
«What does that mean?» Lilith spoke again. She had the feeling that they were hiding something from her. «Is there something I should know?»  
Maleficent stared at her daughter, and embarassed smirk on her face.  
«Regina and I have been lover for years…» she confessed, scared by her reaction. «.. but now it's over.»  
Emma kept her eyes on the ground.  
«If I vanish… I'm an obstacole for none, anymore.» she whispered.  
Lilith goggled.  
«What? You and Regina?» She then stared at Emma. «You fell in love with a woman who's been with my mother?»  
Emma opened wide her eyes at Lily's words.  
«Uhm…»  
Maleficent glared at the princess.  
«If you disappear, Regina won't survive.» she said before looking at her daughter. «I know, it's complicated…» she sighed.  
«I can't believe it, that woman's a monster!» the guard shouted, looking at the mas if they were crazy.  
«Lily, I can assure you, she's not. Don't trust what they say. They don't know what they're talking about.» Emma sadly replied, gazing at Maleficent then. «I don't think so.» She pointed at the castle. «She doesn't want to see me anymore.»  
«Lily, dear, Regina's not a monster! Snow and James are, and Stephan!» the dragon said, looking at Emma then, exasperated. «Look, I'm not persisting in saving the life of my enemies' daughter!» she shouted.  
«She killed hundreds of people, she held you captive!» Lily objected, shocked, talking to Emma. «She tortured you!»  
Emma gave her a melancholic smile.  
«I wouldn't say so…»  
«That woman blinded you… What's so special about her?»  
«Everything…» Emma murmured gazing down again. Lily clenched her fists, embittered, but stayed silent. «How long… Isn't there a way to contact her, somehow?» Emma then asked to Maleficent.  
«I don't know… You can try to scream, from the other side, that's closer. But I don't know if she can hear you.» the woman idly answered. She then noted her daughter's mood, and put her arm around her shoulders. «Would you like to visit your home?» she asked her smirking.  
Lily looked down.  
«Alright.» she said, giving then Emma a glance. «Come with us…»  
Emma stared at her, astonished. She then looked at Maleficent.  
«No…» she smiled, frightened. «Your mother would eat me…»  
Mal laughed at her words.  
«Yes, I would…»  
«She doesn't want you, come with us!» her friend begged her.  
Emma approached Lilith and looked her in her eyes.  
«Lily… you're my best friend. And we shall meet again, I promise… But now you have to stay with your mother. You have so much to tell each other…»  
The girl sighed.  
«Alright…» she capitulated, looking then at her mother. «We can go.»  
Mal smiled at her daughter. She gave Emma a glare, then turned into a dragon, watching Lilith reaction. The gilr looked afraid at first, but then she relaxed.  
Emma snnered at her noticing her expression.  
«Jump on her back.» Emma incited her, watching them with her arms crossed under her breasts.  
Lily smiled at her and managed to climb quikly on the dragon's back. Mal climbed a tree and soared from it, flying fast towards her castle.  
Emma watched them fly for a few moments. She then gazed at Regina's castle. She tried to reach the place Maleficent told her about. The castle was closer from there, yes, buti t was still distant. She tried, anyway.  
«Regina!» she yelled cupping her hands over her mouth.  
She went on screaming her name repeatedly, even when her throat started to ache, and her lungs complained hurting.

Regina covered her ears. She didn't want to hear her voice. She didn't want to see her anymore. She didn't want to see anyone. Her mother would have been proud of her. Eventually, she did close her heart to feelings. Emma's voice came sweet to her ears, she couldn't let that kid destroy her completely. Anger rose inside her until it exploded, causing a earthquake that made the castle tremble. She hated that woman, she hated her and Maleficent.

Emma smirked seeing the castle shake. She heard her. She leaned a hand on her aching throat. She waited, But Regina didn't show up. She tried to yell her name again, but no sound exited her lips. She snorted and shook her head, leaning her nads on her hips. Her eyes opened wide when an idea crossed her mind.  
She leaned her hands against the barrier, white light emanating from her palms. She didn't want to crush it, just to send a message. She fought Regina's power, hoping she would feel it. She closed her eyes to concentrate. She bent the wall, without breaking it, stepping ahead. She bent the barried again, changing its shape until, with a huge effort, she managed to arrive just a few steps from Regina's window. There she stopped, sweated and panting, and gave the wall stability with a hint of magic.  
«Regina! I don't mean to force you to do anything, I just want you to know something!» she said with the hint of voice she had left. «You don't have to answer, but please, let me just know if you can hear me. I love you, Regina. I don't care what you did, I don't care about Lilith and Maleficen. I want you, no matter what!»

Regina felt her close. Her magic was strong, and she was very, very close. She stood up from the bed and went to the window. She heard Emma, her words. She shook her head gritting her teeth.  
«Liar.» she whispered. «You're a liar…» she repeated making the window explode.  
Emma stepped back instinctively and covered her head with her hands to protect herself from the glass splinters. She did hear her. She grinned.  
«You can even not believe me, but it's the truth. And it won't ever change.»  
Regina showed, finally. She looked at her with hate.  
«You need to get out of my castle. I don't want you, you're just a spoiled little girl, a princess who wants to be knight. But you're nothing.»  
Emma frowned.  
«I don't want to be a knight!» she objected, her tone a little bit too high. «I just want to be with you!»  
«But I don't.» The queen eyed her with contempt. «I never did.»  
«You're lying!» Emma shouted at her with anger. «I know you better than anyone else, Regina! And I would never hurt you!»  
Regina gave her a devilish smile.  
«Just because I let you satisfy my needs, it doesn't mean you know me…»  
«You're forgetting that I don't know only this side of you, but also the side that none has ever seen! You can't deceive me anymore, Regina! I know you love me, or I wouldn't be alive! You don't want to see me ever again? Then kill me, here and now! Let's end this!» the blonde screamed, full of anger, her face red.  
The queen coldly laughed.  
«And why should I end your torments?» she considered looking at her. «I like to see you suffer.»  
«Really? Then lock me in a cell and torture me! Everyone accuse you of doing it! Do it!»  
«You bored me.» Regina slowly stepped away from her. «I have other toys now and I'm not wasting time with you.»  
«See? You don't have the guts to do it!» Emma shouted, beside herself with rage.  
«Think what you want.» the brunette replied harshly, turning her back at her. «Now, if you don't mind, I have a new prey to train…»  
Emma felt a dart of jealousy pierce her heart, but she didn't give up.  
«Fine! Do it, I don't want to take anything from you! Fuck Maleficent too, or whoever you like! I just want to see you happy!»  
«Don't mention that traitor!» Regina suddenly shouted. «She was disappointing, just like you!»  
«Why are you keeping me away, Regina?» the blonde asked sweetening her tone. «What are you afraid of? I'm offering you all of me, all my life! I'm telling you to do whatever you want, even of me! What else am I to do to show you that I do love you?»  
«Nothing.» the queen whipered. « I want nothing. I never wanted you, leave me alone! I was happy without you!»  
Emma stared at her in silence for a few seconds, short of breath.  
«Then don't tell me not to get myself killed.» she said, turning to walk away.  
«You made me weak.» Regina admitted before turning, wanting to go back inside her chamber.  
Emma slowed for a moment hearing those words, then went back walking fast towards George's castle Regina turned to look at her.  
«Where are you going?» she asked. Emma couldn't hear her, already far away. Regina clenched her teeth, snorting, then she appeared in front of the princess, stopping her.  
«Where are you going?»  
Emma glowered at her.  
«To grant your wish, Your Majesty..» she growled going past her. «You won't see me ever again.»  
Regina grabber her arm.  
«You're not going anywhere.»  
The blonde squirmed free of her grasp and glared at her.  
«Tie me up in the dungeon if you want to stop me, it's the only way.»  
«As you wish.» the brunette gloomily said. She vanished with her a purple cloud and they both materialized inside the dungeon. Emma looked around her, floored. She really did it. She layed her astonished gaze on her.  
«You forced me, don't look at me that way.» the queen said with a little, elegant shrug.  
«I didn't force you…» the blonde smiled.  
«Yes. You did.» the woman replied right before vanishing behind her purple smoke.


	22. Chapter 21

Emma was walking back and forth the cell. She trenched the ground at this point. She had spent the last two days down there, and Regina didn't show yet. She didn't eat, didn't sleep. She just pondered. And walked. Back and forth, again and again. And, as she was walking again that little, repeated trail, a voice made her jump.  
«Princess.»  
The blonde turned suddenly. She jumped on the bars, clutching at them.  
«Regina! How are you?» she instinctively asked her, her eyes wide open.  
«I can tell your terrible manners are back. It's "Your Majesty".» she coldly reprimanded her.  
Emma let out a tiny sigh. She stepped back and kneeled unwillingly.  
«I ask for your pardon, Your Majesty.» she said.  
«Here, better…» the brunette commented. She then approached the bars. «So, tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?»  
Emma glanced at her, then shrugged.  
«You choose…»  
«Alas, I don't.» the other woman sighed. «Will you go back home?»  
Emma raised her gaze on her, fixing it on the queen's dark eyes.  
«I am home.» she articulated.  
Regina rolled her eyes, exasperated.  
«You want to stay here? Fine. I'm leaving you this damn castle if you want it!» she shouted.  
The girl stood up and went to the bars.  
«No.» she said with decision. «You are my home, not the castle.»  
«Emma, I'm tired…» Regina looked at her. Here yes were sad, hopeless. «I just want to go on, and you're going to destroy me…»  
Emma grabbed the bars staring back at her, devastated by that look.  
«Why? I would never hurt you…»  
Regina smirked.  
«I know you don't want to, but you will. You're linked to Lily, your fates, your lives, they're linked…. And this will never change.»  
«But not the way you think they are! I don't love Lilith, Regina!»  
«You think you don't… but you need her.»  
«No, I need you!» the blonde exclaimed, almost with anger.  
«What if one day you realize it's not like that? And you will, believe me.» The brunette stared at her with wet eyes. « «What will be of me? How will I put the pieces back together?»  
Emma stretched a hand between the bars, trying to touch her face.  
«Regina.. I know I love only you.» she softly said, feeling her own eyes water. «I will always love you. What you fear, it's never going to happen. Without you I don't even exist.»  
Tears fell over Regina's face. She wanted to believe her with all her heart.  
«I can't risk… you need to accept that.» she murmured, her voice broken.  
«It's not a risk, my love… Give me the chance to show you…»  
«You're going to destroy me.» the brunette repeated in a whisper, her face still crossed by her tears. She moved a hand and opened the cell with magic.  
Emma exited the cell and hugged her, letting her tears free to fall down.  
«Never.» she whispered. She hugged her tight, a if she needed to have her as close as she could to keep breathing. «IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou…» she repeatedly whispered behind the tears.  
Regina let her hug her. She smiled and weeped at the same time. She did miss the contact with her body.  
«You're out of your mind, and you're going to drive me crazy, too…» she said.  
Emma laughed tightening her hug.  
«More important, I stink.» She distanced from her, but her hands were still laying on her hips. She stared at her, her eyes lit by the happiness she was feeling. «I need a bath, or you'll really refuse to see me again…»  
«Yes, for once you're right…» the brunette laughed. «You really stink. You're not getting into our room in these conditions.»  
The blonde burst into laughter.  
«I'd better be quick then!» she exclaimed, unable to hold back the joy she felt.  
«Yes, you'd better.» Regina smiled.  
Emma approached her to kiss her, a short kiss, delicate, sweet.  
«Go now.» Regina said then, and Emma literary ran upstairs, commanding to the servants to prepare a hot bath for her.  
Regina climbed the stairs a few moments after she did and walked to her chamber. She was still gripped by the fear. She layed against the window, her gaze lost in the large landscape.  
«Tell me I'm doing the right thing…» she whispered, to herself, maybe. Her mind ran to Daniel, as usual. She lost herself in those memories until a shy knock on the door made her turn abruplty. Emma was at the door, covered only by a white cloth, her hair wet, darkened by the water.  
«Do you feel better?» she asked her while watching her, suddenly distracted from her thoughts.  
A naughty smile crossed the princess' pale face.  
«Yes.» she answered. «May I come in now?»  
The brunette nodded smirking.  
«Of course.»  
Emma stepped forwards and let the cloth fall. She slowly walked to her, looking in her eyes.  
Regina stared at her perfect, naked body.  
«You're beautiful.» she whispered.  
«You are.» the blonde smiled embarassedly. She blushed and gazed down. Regina went closer to her.  
«Are you alright?» she questioned her, worried.  
Emma nodded glancing at her.  
«Yes. You?»  
The brunette gave her a forced smile.  
«Yes, I'm fine.»  
The princess froze. Her heart lost a beat. She was lying.  
«What's wrong?» she asked her.  
«Nothing.» the brunette answered. She took her hand and led her to the bed. «Lay down.» she commanded, a devilish smile on her face.  
Emma obeyed but she kept staring at her with worry.  
«Did I do something wrong?»  
«No, you didn't do anything.» the older woman tried to reassure her. She made her lay under her and Emma shivered, her breaths faster.  
«So what's wrong?» she insisted, anxious.  
Regina kissed her to silence her.  
«I want to play with you…» she then whispered on her lips. Emma felt her core clench, so strong that it hurt. She looked in her eyes. Her heart seemed about to jump out of her chest. The arousal was abut to win over the worry.  
Regina brought a leg between hers, forcing her to spread them for her. Emma held her breath, bitin her lower lip for the blast of arousal that that move had created inside her. Regina started to move her leg, rubbing it against her. The blonde moaned and moved her hips towards her.  
«Yes…» she murmured.  
Regina kissed her before changing her leg with her hand. Her fingers began to stimulate her clit. Emma screamed clinging to her, her body in flames. The queen smirked.  
«Are you ready for me?» she whispered in her ear.  
«Yes!» Emma panted and leaned forward toward her.  
The brunette bit her lower lip and entered inside her with two fingers, making her cry out. Emma tensed around her fingers and scrabbled at her back. Regina's arousal grew hearing her scream. She moved her hand faster inside the blonde, who screamed again, unable to hold it back. The orgasm hit her suddenly, leaving her breathless and making the Queen smirk. She got out of her and brought her wet fingers to her own mouth, licking her taste from them, moaning.  
«You're so sweet…»  
Emma licked her lips staring at her. She felt her heart explode watching her do that.  
Regina leaned forward and kissed her.  
«Do you feel your taste?»  
Emma moaned between her lips and caressed her body. She made her dress disappear while she was kissing her and reversed the situation, putting herself above Regina. The brunette sneered and kissed her passionately, wrapping her in her arms as the blonde was caressing every inch of her body, touching her in awe. Suddenly the Queen made some ropes appear.  
«Do you want to play?» she asked with a malicious smile.  
Emma glanced at the ropes, then smiled at her.  
«Always.»  
«Use them… with me.» the brunette said looking in her eyes. The request floored Emma. The smile disappeared from her face.  
«B-but…» she stammered blushing. «I don't know…»  
Noticing her embarass, Regina lifted and kissed her.  
«Hey, I didn't mean to shock you. I thought you wanted to try, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do…»  
«I don't know if I'm able to do that…» the girl completed her sentence with an awkard glance at her.  
«It's fine.» the older woman replied, moving to put away the ropes after kissing her. Emma leaned her hand on hers before she could do it, suddenly staring at her.  
«Wait!» she exclaimed.  
The brunette stopped and stared back at her.  
«Emma you don't have to do it… really.»  
The blonde gave her a shy smirk.  
«I'm just afraid to disappoint you…» she confessed in a whisper, blushing.  
Regina smiled at her and caressed her face.  
«You couldn't…»  
Emma gartefully smirked at her, then took the roped from her hands. She sat on her, stretching the over her to tie her wrists to the bedpost.  
«Is it too tight?» she then asked looking down at her.  
«No, it's perfect.» Regina answered. It was the first time she let anyone tie her up. Emma went back sitting on her thighs.  
«Are you sure?» she asked her in a whisper.  
«Relax, you're not hurting me.» the brunette smiled at her.  
Emma kissed her while touching her sides with her fingertips. Regina moaned.  
«Do you have a blind fold?» the blonde asked herwith a whisper, slightly touching her ear with her lips. She then started kissing her neck, still caressing the rest of her body. Regina made appearwhat she aked for in her hands.  
«Emma…» she moaned.  
The girl smirked. She blindfolded her, then went down kissing her shoulder, then her chest, the center of it. She licked her belly, went up and kissed the side of her breast and bit the nipple. Regina moaned and shivered at her every touch. Her body was reacting more than the usual, her senses were amplified by the darkness. Emma licked her nipples, one after the other, then went lower and kissed her and bit her until her tongue was inside her. The brunette arched her back. Emma pulled back her tongue and started to lick her clit, tasting her. She had missed her so much…  
«Yes…» Regina tilted her hips towards her while her arousal was growing inside her. Emma moved her tongue faster and squeezed her thighs between her fingers.  
«Emma!» the brunette cried out in pleasure. The blonde continued, raising her gaze on on licking her, she moved and penetrated her with two fingers, curling then them inside her. Regina let out a little scream.  
«Yes!» she moeaned.  
Emma moved inside and over her, faster and faster, until the orgasm hit the Queen.  
«Emma!» she cried out her name while coming. The blonde pulled her fingers out of her, but kept licking her and kept her legs still. Regina trembled.  
«Emma…» she panted.  
The princess licked slow cirlces around her clit, her eyes on her. When she moved faster again, Regina came.  
The blonde distanced from her and dried her face with her hand. She slid over her until she could kiss her while she touche dher again, with her right hand, delicately. Regina kissed her back stretching towards her; her body still reacted to every touch. Emma stopped kissing her but went on touching her, increasing the pressure. She licked her lips, preventing her from kissing her.  
Regina licked her while she was trying to push herself towards her. Emma bit her lower lip and entered hera gain with her fingers, making her scream. She went in and out again and again, kissing her eventually.  
«Yes, yes…» the brunette screamed in pleasure. «Emmaaa..» she panted coming again.  
The blonde didn't stop moving, but stopped kissing her, looking at her.  
Her body was worn-out, but Regina squirmed under her and came again.  
«Emma…» Regina whispered with a hint of voice, exhausted.  
The girl untied her and took off the blindfold, then hugged her.  
«I love you…» she whispered in her ear.  
Regina briefly rubbed her aching wrists, then wrapped her in her arms.  
«I love you.» she whispered back.  
Emma suddenly turned feeling her move. She sat up grabbing her wrists, holding them carefully in her hads, worried.  
«Did I…» she was asking, when she suddenly realized what the woman just said. Did she say it?  
Regina hid her face against her chest in order not to look at her. Emma hugged her, tears running fast down her face. She smiled.  
«I love you.» she repeated, rubbing her back, still astonished.  
Regina stayed in silence, unable to believe that she actually just said what she had said. Emma held her tight, her heart full of joy.


	23. Chapter 22

Regina nervously moved on the stool, impatient and anxious at the same time. That bloody servant wouldn't hurry up braiding those stupid white flowers around her head. The dress was squeezing her chest, choking her. Or maybe it was just the anxiety. She looked in the mirror. The killer stare that her reflection gave her almost made the servant have an heart attack.  
«I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm doing as fast as I can.» the girl apologized, contrite. Regina sighed, forcing herself to calm down. Even because she would kill her, otherwise.  
«Yes, I know…» she said, and for some reason the girl smiled at her, even if she didn't dare saying anything.

Emma uslessly tried to let out the corset of her dress, cursing between clenched teeth.  
«I hate these bloody things…» she muttered, resigning herself to breath with just half lung. She blowed upwards moving a lock of hair that had fallen over her face. She glanced at the mirror. She felt ridiculous with that dress, but at the same time she liked it. White had always looked good on her, and that day it looked even better. She touched the delicate silver embroideries that had caught her attention. The white feathers tickled her neck.  
«Worry not, Your Highness, you look beautiful.» Odette reassured her, smiling at her through the mirror. Emma turned to look at the servant and ave her a grateful smile, but she was still feeling nervous.  
«Regina is beautiful. I'm just wearing a beautiful dress.» she corrected her without giving her the time to object, then. «And I can't wait to see her, so I'd better be going.» she said right before lifting the skirt and walking out of the room. She quickly reached the throne room. It was illuminated by so many candles, and full of white flowers. The ministrant was already waiting for her on the raised stage, respectfully far from the black throne. Emma walked between the two wings of servants and guards and joined him; the man smiled at her.  
«You look beautiful, Your Highness.» he adulated her, and she smiled at him.  
«Thank you.»  
She turned to look at the crowd and met Lily's dark stare. Emma smirked at her, and the girl evidently forced herself to do the same, without much success. The princess moved her gaze from her to meet the light-blue, sombre eyes of her mother. Despite everything, Maleficent gave her a sincere smile. She took the fact to loose Regina as a price for having her daughter back with her, and she had surrendered after a long talk with the Queen.  
Emma waited, as is tradition. Her title was less important than Regina's, so she had to wait for her arrival.  
Regina wasn't late. The doors down the hall opened, and the Queen made her entrance. Emma was mouth agape. The dress was amazing. The white fabric was heavy, finely embroidered. The wide sleeves let her shoulders naked, and its hem was embroidered with golden threads. The high and complex hairdo was enlighted by the tiny crown forged in light silver lines, obscured by the shiny diamonds mounted on it.  
But more than the dress, mire than the hairstyle, was her gaze that left emma speechless. Her dark eyes were shimmering with happiness and emotion, and, above all, love. With her eyes already wet Emma watched her walk the aisle until she joined her. They interlocked their fingers together, looking in each other's eyes.  
The ministrant made his speech in favour of the guests, then spoke to them.  
«Regina,?»  
Regina smiled looking at Emma.  
«Forever from this day.» she said. A tear escaped the blonde's control.  
«Emma, do you appear before this woman as bride and not as heir of your father's throne, for your souls to be united in holy matrimony, forever from this day?»  
Emma smiled, moved.  
«Forever from this day.»  
The ministrant turned for a second to grab a red velvet pillow. On it two identical white gold rings shined, a diamond set on each one. The two women took them and put them on each other finger with trembling hands.  
«With this ring I bind my life to yours. May every smile of yours be mine, may every tear of yours be mine.» the brunette said looking in her wet eyes. Emma did the same, then was the ministrant who spoke.  
«May nobody dare to divide what love has joined.» he concluded. The crowd exploded into a deafening ovation.  
The two women smiled at each other, then emma jumped on Regina hugging her and kissing her. 

The crow pecked three times at the queen's window, making her give a start. Snow gave it a suspicious stare, but when she noted the tiny scroll tied to its foot she opened the window and took it delicately in her hands, pulling the scroll out of the tiny iron cylinder. She quicly opened the message. Only two people used to send ravens instead of pidgeons, and she didn't like any of them. She goggled recognising the handwriting. It was her daughter's. 

Queen Snow and King David,

this letter is to inform you about the officiated wedding between Queen Regina of the Northern Lands and the ex Princess, now Queen Emma of the Western Lands. May this union finally bring peace between the kingdoms.  
Trusting Your loyalty, the Queens now declare open the pathways between the lands. May the blood never stain these lands again.


End file.
